Spy Ops Review: Created by Big Media, the new Netflix docuseries covers insider stories of CIA, MI6, and other related agencies with regard to famous crimes like 9/11, the Taliban, the invasion of Panama, etc. The series features various officers, officials, and such, telling their share of stories about the events that startled the world. Directors Maria Wye Berry, Isabelle Gendre, and Max Serio joined together and directed their respective episodes.
The 8-part docuseries each has a runtime of 40-55 mins. They are available in multiple languages, however, other language speakers’ voices aren’t dubbed for authenticity reasons (subtitles are provided).
– Spy Ops Review Contains No Spoilers –
Spy Ops Review
Documentaries sensitising a huge crime that shocked the world isn’t a new thing. However, Spy Ops doesn’t only put out real facts regarding one crime event but of many that are to date being a talk. The first episode dwelled inside Operation Jawbreaker led by the US CIA right after the 9/11 incident. Real footage of famous Afghanistan leaders like Ahmad Shah Massoud, Bin Laden, and such were added to strengthen the facts.
The real pictures of the CIA team, their testimonies, and the deal behind the operation were shown in a way that people can garner more information that they won’t find anywhere. Similarly, in the other episodes, more operations and stories about dictators were presented. The shooting of the Pope was an intriguing episode as it showed how even a religious figure was the target of certain people.
While all the episodes presented top crime events and hidden missions with intrinsic details, they didn’t quite pick up attention. Speaking of 9/11, it’s something that’s resurfacing every now and then. While the Jawbreaker operation is a piece of new information, it felt heavily one-sided. More of Ahmad Massoud could have been talked about/shown but they decided to portray it only from the CIA officers’ perspective. It’s nice to see a top operation getting successfully done however, it simply made the US look like the troublemaker.
Coming to the other episodes, such as the invasion of Panama, it also again involved American officials. Almost 6 out of 8 episodes focused on CIA operations done by the US officers. Why not keep the title of the series as American Spy Ops? If only the docuseries had covered global events, it would have felt interesting to watch but throughout the series, one would feel like US officials are expressing about their efforts. Well, we do respect their sacrifices and efforts but the one-sided story didn’t feel complete without other perspectives.
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The editing team has done a good job of adding original footage and pictures in order to make it easy for the viewers to take a look at every possible piece of evidence within one episode. One needn’t have to go search the internet for videos as there are ample video evidence added in the episodes. Additionally, the directors have made actors enact certain real scenarios that help convey the story.
Some of the people’s faces were blurred for multiple reasons concerned with privacy which sparked a question in me. Why would someone working for the government and moreover who were posing for the camera now have their faces blurred? Did they endure any danger or are they afraid of any problems? The editors could have at least mentioned why their faces were hidden because, of course, it will tend to make people think of all possible reasons like did the people in the picture face hazards and such. Or simply is something being hidden?
One nice aspect about the docuseries is the way they have not dubbed the voices of other country people. For instance, in the episode regarding the death threats to the Pope, there were testimonies given by Spanish people and their voices weren’t dubbed, making their sentences authentic. Usually, many docuseries dub the voices but Spy Ops didn’t do so and it made the episodes look promising. I mean imagine watching someone and their mouth not syncing with the voice. It won’t feel right, especially in a documentary series.
Final Thoughts
Overall the episodes offered insight into various commando operations that have been the root cause of various endings and beginnings. While the technical aspects are to be lauded, the purpose of the series is a big question mark. If it is to educate people on the sacrifices the officers have made, then it has definitely worked well.
However, if it is to educate about the events as a whole, then I’d say it does lack completion. Anyhow, the docuseries is a one-time watch and a great resource area for viewers to check real evidence all pooled up together.
Spy Ops is streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts on the docuseries in the comment section.
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