TURN: Washington's Spies
TURN: Washington's Spies
TV-14 | 06 April 2014 (USA)

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  • Reviews
    Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
    Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
    Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
    Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
    patrick powell Here on IMDb users' reviews and elsewhere Turn: Washington's Spies has been castigated for 'historical inaccuracies', and I don't doubt the series is guilty of changing the facts to suit itself. For example, Anna Strong and Abe Woodhull, part of the Culper Ring of spies, were not romantically involved and, furthermore, Strong was ten years older than Woodhull, and apparently there are many more instances where the series doesn't stack up with what we know about the spy ring. But that begs the question: is AMC's series intended as an historical document or as entertainment? If the former, if the series was produced as a documentary, then certainly playing fast and loose with what historians have established really happened is unacceptable. But it doesn't to me seem that it was.AMC is in the entertainment business, and I think we can be sure that Turn was intended more as commercial evening entertainment than has a history lecture. But that doesn't mean it is all fictional and 'made up' or not in any way worthwhile. In fact, I think it has struck the right note between a broadly historical account and out-and-out fiction rather well, especially for a US company: I have watched too many American films and series which have laid on the patriotic schmaltz rather to much for me to have acquired a taste for it (Designated Survivor, and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and the thoroughly dishonest Amistad spring to mind. It might be worthwhile if parts of America took to heart the observation by non-Americans that no country on Earth prides itself on being 'the second greatest nation in the world').Dealing as it does with the beginnings of the war of independence, AMC seems to get it right not to stick to the Dick and Dora version of history so love by Hollywood of a 'freedom-loving people struggling to shake off the yoke of British tyranny'. If only it had been that simple (though many Americans still like to push that line).Obviously, there are many different interpretations of the genesis and motivation for the formation of the Continental Congress and its aftermath. But one of these interpretations is that essentially the struggle for independence was by some of the ruling classes in the colonies who simply wanted to call all the shots rather than just some of them and most certainly not on behalf of a king several thousand miles away. Oh, and they also wanted to keep more of their money. There is scant evidence of a 'popular uprising' by 'the people' who had come to hate the king, and as revolt against the Crown and his representatives in the colonies grew, many remained loyal to the king simply because independence would make very little, if any, practical difference to their lives: it didn't matter who they were paying rent to or for whom they toiled: they still had to pay rent and still had to toil for a pittance, and were hounded if they didn't.Essentially the colonies were divided, and war was, at first at least, civil war, and AMC's Turn conveys that sense well. Many of the 'Americans' were, in fact, British, some third and fourth generation, who had settled in the colonies and who, crucially, still regarded themselves as British.As for the production itself, Turn deserves a lot more bouquets than brickbats (in fact, so far I can't even think of a brickbat I might want to wield). The actors are all well-cast and persuasive, the direction is unobtrusive (and successfully avoids pretty much all patriotic grandstanding and posturing), the story neatly interweaves the political and historical with the personal, and there is, thankfully, none of that 'olde English' 18th-century speak which can mar and jar just as much as using modern anachronism. (So far no one has said anything along the lines of 'General Washington, I've got to do this thing, for me its personal!' and we can thank God for small mercies.)So if you come across Turn and are tempted to look in, do so by all means. It does a good job very well, although given the period it covers, you will be disappointed if you crave bucketloads of patriotic syrup and a rousing soundtrack. I, you might have gathered, don't.
    JangoFettsHead If you have not started to watch this show yet, you are truly missing out on something special. From the cast, to the stories told in the show, you will be hooked and left wanting more at the end of every episode. The cast and characters in this show were simply amazing, and I very much enjoyed Jamie Bell taking the lead as Abe Woodhull. Trust me when I say this, you are going to hate John Simcoe, but that is the genius of his character, and he is always around. The other main characters all have their moments of strength and weakness, and they add so much to this show. The plot follows the Culper Spy Ring, a relatively unknown detail to the Revolutionary War, at least to me. It follows the life of Abraham Woodhull, and how he becomes a spy, and the problems that come with it. Abe is not the only focus, as we see Ben Tallmadge, Brewster, Anna Strong, Mary Woodhull, and Robert Townsend (Who I enjoyed very much). Although they were on the wrong side of the battle, Major Hewlett and John Andre are good characters who you may enjoy. And with these widely unknown people, you have the likes of General Washington and Benedict Arnold. If you are into American History, you should definitely check out this show, because while it is not completely accurate, it still teaches you a lot, while being very entertaining. You WILL love this show, and you will not regret watching it.This is one of AMC's most slept on shows, that gets shoved aside for Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, when in all honesty, this show is right up there with them. Give it a shot people!
    mawsis I have watched TURN from the beginning and I am sorry to see it end. It is a fabulous show on the history of our nation and the people who gave of themselves to create the USA. I would like to thank AMC for sticking with the wonderful show to the end and Alexander Rose for writing such a tremendous book from where the show is adapted.School children of all ages should watch this series.
    Ian (Flash Review)This show picks up the battles after America declared its independence. You are given the neat perspective of the spies who work on behalf of George Washington the General and how some serious old school spying was done. A far cry from the high tech world of James Bond. The show is highly realistic and authentic to the period. There are lots of characters to keep straight and keep track of, which requires focus and/or rewatching a few scenes twice to catch everything. It is entertaining and the editing mixes up crisp and eloquent dialog, with some battles, subtle spying, a dash of romance and some bloody moments. Very enjoyable yet requires astute focus.