A sun-soaked Greek getaway turns into a bullet-riddled family reunion in The Assassin, a wildly entertaining spy thriller where secrets are as dangerous as the killers.
Warning: This review contains major spoilers for The Assassin.
Pack your bags, grab some sunscreen, and maybe duck for cover. The Assassin looks like a dreamy Greek vacation—until the sniper rifles come out and a deeply awkward mother-son reunion sparks an international manhunt. It’s stylish, ridiculous in the best way, and completely my kind of chaos. So yes, I had thoughts.
AMC+’s six-part thriller combines international espionage, dysfunctional family drama, dark comedy, and extravagant action. The result is not always believable, but it is consistently entertaining. Led by Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore, The Assassin knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be: fast, funny, glamorous, and just unhinged enough to keep viewers guessing.
A Killer in Paradise
The series opens with a pulse-pounding flashback to Bulgaria in 1994, introducing Julie (Keeley Hawes) as a cold, silent, and terrifyingly efficient killer. She moves with the confidence of someone who has spent years eliminating dangerous people and escaping before anyone realizes what happened.
Fast-forward to the present, and Julie is supposedly retired. She now lives an isolated life on a remote Greek island, surrounded by breathtaking scenery but keeping everyone at a distance. Her home may look like paradise, but Julie treats it like a fortress. She is prickly, suspicious, emotionally guarded, and clearly unable to let go of the instincts that once kept her alive.
Her peaceful retirement does not last long.
Julie’s estranged son, Edward (Freddie Highmore), arrives on the island with questions about a mysterious trust fund. He is not there for a relaxing family vacation or a sentimental reunion. He wants answers, and those answers threaten to expose the past Julie has worked so hard to bury.
Their reunion is immediately uncomfortable. Julie isn't exactly the warm, affectionate mother Edward might have wanted, and Edward brings years of frustration and resentment with him. The two can barely get through an ordinary conversation without irritating each other, which makes their relationship both funny and painful to watch.
At the same time, a new assassination order lands on Julie’s doorstep. When she refuses the job, it becomes clear that retirement isn't an option her former associates will respect. The idyllic island quickly transforms into a battlefield.
A Wedding, a Massacre, and a Very Complicated Escape
The tension explodes when a local wedding becomes a massacre. What begins as a lively celebration turns into a brutal attack, forcing Julie to reveal the skills she has tried to leave behind.
She grabs Edward and local butcher Luka (Gerald Kyd), and the three flee the island. Their escape is messy, frantic, and darkly funny. Edward is completely out of his depth, while Julie remains frighteningly calm under pressure. Watching them react to danger in completely different ways becomes one of the show’s most reliable sources of comedy.
Their escape soon leads them to a swanky yacht, where things get even more complicated. Edward’s fiancée, Kayla, is aboard—and she is the same woman Julie was ordered to kill.
That revelation ties the family drama directly to the international conspiracy. Edward is no longer simply the confused son of a secretive mother. His romantic life, his finances, and even his identity are connected to Julie’s violent past.
The biggest twist, however, changes everything we thought we knew about their relationship: Edward is not Julie’s biological son. He is the child of a French arms dealer she was hired to assassinate 30 years ago. Rather than leave the baby behind, Julie took him and raised him as her own.
It is the kind of twist that could easily feel absurd—and it certainly is—but it also gives the story real emotional weight. Julie did not merely hide her former career from Edward. She built their entire relationship on a devastating secret.
Family drama? Check. International intrigue? Double-check. A lifetime of unresolved trauma wrapped inside an outrageous spy thriller? Absolutely.
Keeley Hawes Is the Main Attraction
Keeley Hawes is perfectly cast as Julie. She brings intelligence, authority, and dry humor to a character who could easily have become a one-dimensional action hero.
Julie is essentially a “menopausal James Bond,” and the series has plenty of fun with that idea. She can fire a weapon, outsmart professional killers, and snap a neck without breaking a sweat. Yet Hawes never plays her as completely invulnerable. Beneath the icy confidence is a woman who has spent decades compartmentalizing guilt, fear, and regret.
Julie’s greatest challenge is not escaping assassins. It is facing Edward.
She can assess danger in seconds, but she struggles to have an honest conversation with her son. She knows how to survive an ambush, yet she has no idea how to repair the emotional damage caused by years of secrecy. That contradiction makes her far more interesting than the typical retired-killer character.
Hawes also handles the show’s shifts in tone with skill. She can move from threatening to funny to unexpectedly vulnerable without making those changes feel forced. Even when the plot becomes wildly improbable, her committed performance keeps the story grounded.
Freddie Highmore Brings the Nervous Energy
Freddie Highmore is a charming counterpart to Hawes. Edward is nervous, irritated, curious, and hilariously unprepared for the world he has entered. He begins the series looking for financial answers and quickly finds himself dodging bullets while learning that almost everything he believed about his family may be a lie.
Highmore understands that Edward cannot compete with Julie physically, so he gives the character a different kind of energy. Edward questions things. He complains. He panics. He tries to process increasingly ridiculous revelations while his mother treats deadly situations as minor inconveniences.
That contrast creates a strong comic rhythm between the two actors. Julie wants Edward to follow instructions without hesitation; Edward wants his mother to explain why armed killers are chasing them in the first place. Both reactions make sense, but they rarely have time to meet in the middle.
Their relationship is the real heart of the series. The assassinations, conspiracies, and international locations provide excitement, but the central question is whether this mother and son can survive the truth about their shared past.
Action With a Playful Spirit
The Assassin is a riotous, stylish, and deeply entertaining thriller that delivers plenty of action without losing its playful spirit. Across six exhilarating episodes, the show rarely slows down. Another threat, escape, secret, or betrayal is always waiting around the corner.
The Williams brothers fully embrace the charmingly outrageous style they do so well. This is not a quiet or restrained espionage drama. It is glossy, energetic, and willing to push situations beyond realism for entertainment.
The sudden movement between domestic arguments and deadly violence is part of the show’s identity. Julie and Edward might argue about their relationship one moment and run from gunfire the next. At its best, this combination gives The Assassin a distinctive tone. The danger feels real enough to create tension, but the humor prevents the series from becoming oppressively grim.
The dialogue plays an important role in maintaining that balance. Julie’s sharp remarks and Edward’s increasingly exasperated responses lighten even the most dangerous situations. Their banter also reveals the emotional distance between them.
Stunning Locations and Escapist Style
The breathtaking scenery is another major part of the show’s appeal. The Greek setting provides a gorgeous contrast to the violence unfolding around the characters. Bright sunlight, blue water, beautiful villages, and luxurious boats create the visual language of a glamorous holiday—except this particular vacation comes with assassins and automatic weapons.
As the story moves through the Greek islands, Albania, and Paris, each location helps maintain the sense of momentum. The changing scenery makes the series feel bigger and more adventurous, reinforcing its globe-trotting spy-thriller identity.
There is also something enjoyably absurd about watching Julie remain composed amid all this chaos. Whether she is navigating a tense family conversation or escaping another attack, she carries herself like someone who is perpetually disappointed that everyone else is making her day more difficult.
A Story About Identity and Parenthood
Underneath the action, The Assassin is ultimately a story about identity, parenthood, and the damage secrets can cause.
Edward’s discovery forces him to reconsider his entire life. Julie may have raised him, protected him, and loved him in her own complicated way, but she also took him after killing his biological father. No matter how she justifies that decision, it is an enormous betrayal.
The revelation also raises difficult questions about what makes someone a parent. Julie is not Edward’s biological mother, but she raised him. Does that history matter more than the circumstances that brought them together? Can a relationship survive when its foundation is exposed as a lie?
Julie’s motives are equally complicated. Taking Edward may have been an act of compassion, guilt, selfishness, or some combination of all three. The show is most compelling when it allows those possibilities to coexist rather than offering a simple explanation.
Where the Series Struggles
If you are looking for a spy drama grounded in reality, The Assassin may not be the right fit.
Julie’s abilities often feel nearly superhuman. She can escape situations that would overwhelm almost anyone else, and her effectiveness occasionally reduces the tension. If Julie can fight, shoot, improvise, and outthink nearly every opponent, it becomes harder to believe she is ever truly in danger.
The tonal shifts can also be jarring. The series regularly moves from family squabbles and sarcastic jokes to intense shootouts and shocking deaths. Sometimes that contrast works brilliantly, but at other times it makes the emotional consequences feel rushed.
The fast pace is both a strength and a weakness. The story is rarely boring, but it does not always leave enough room for the characters to process major revelations. Edward learns devastating truths about his identity and his mother, yet another chase or attack is often waiting before those emotions can be fully explored.
Some of the plot developments also rely on coincidence, questionable decisions, and action-thriller logic. Viewers willing to embrace the show’s exaggerated style will probably have a wonderful time. Those expecting a tightly realistic espionage drama may find themselves asking too many questions.
Final Verdict
Despite its flaws, The Assassin is a delightful ride for anyone who enjoys a clever blend of action, humor, family drama, and international intrigue. It has beautiful locations, witty dialogue, energetic pacing, and a fantastic central performance from Keeley Hawes.
Hawes and Highmore make the series work. Their dysfunctional mother-son dynamic gives the show an emotional center amid the gunfire, conspiracies, and increasingly outrageous twists. Julie may be able to defeat almost any enemy, but rebuilding her relationship with Edward could prove to be the one challenge she cannot solve with a weapon.
The series is stylish, funny, violent, and unapologetically over the top. It may not reinvent the spy-thriller genre, but it brings enough personality and chaotic energy to stand out.
Have you watched The Assassin? What did you think of the series? Now that Edward knows Julie kidnapped him after killing his father, can their relationship survive the truth? Or will the “Lazarus” conspiracy pull them apart forever? Are you hoping for a second season?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
You can watch The Assassin on AMC+ and Acorn TV. Season 2 premieres Thursday, November 19th on AMC+.
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