3 Best Movies to Watch From Eight Rooks

1. The Honourable Woman, 2014

If you watched Homeland, you might recall that the central question was whether the main character was good or bad. In The Honourable Woman, the question is whether anybody is good or bad.

With Maggie Gyllenhaal in the Golden-Globe-winning leading role, this Netflix/BBC production centers in on Nessa Stein, the heiress to a large arms company involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. When her father is assassinated, Stein aims to keep the business alive by diversifying it, essentially moving it away from the war business, and is met with fierce opposition. Her life becomes even more dangerous when a secret from her past comes to haunt her.

Created by the multi-talented actor/writer Hugo Blick, the writing of this British miniseries effortlessly dodges stereotypes and easy answers and builds a balanced complexity that's never boring. With extremely well-crafted characters, you will find yourself on the edge, never feeling completely safe with any one of them. The perfect ingredients for a top-level political thriller.

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Actor: Andrew Buchan, Eve Best, Genevieve O'Reilly, George Georgiou, Igal Naor, Janet McTeer, Katherine Parkinson, Lindsay Duncan, Lubna Azabal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Martin Hutson, Nicole Lopes, Paul Herzberg, Philip Arditti, Reeve Fletcher, Stephen Rea, Tobias Menzies

Rating: N/A, Not Rated

2. The English, 2022

There is no shortage of craft and ambition in The English, a miniseries that employs tropes of classic Westerns, like the soulful anti-hero and the loyal sidekick, but also twists them enough to make them feel fresh. For instance, instead of typical cowboys, we have as our leads Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), an aristocratic Englishwoman, and Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a native who also served in the US army. Both of them are terribly out of place in the Wild West, but they’re fueled with the kind of vengeful drive that leads to bloody outcomes, which are themselves staples of the genre.

The English is sweeping, both in scope and scenery, and solemn. Fans will appreciate how seriously the show treats the genre, and they'll take pleasure in its familiarity, from the twisty mysteries and brutal disputes to the gritty backdrops and arid vistas. In this instance, the show’s ambition perfectly fits the genre.

Genre: Drama, Western

Actor: Chaske Spencer, Ciarán Hinds, Cristian Solimeno, Emily Blunt, Julian Bleach, Malcolm Storry, Nicholas Aaron, Rafe Spall, Rod Rondeaux, Stephen Rea, Toby Jones, Tom Hughes, Tonantzin Carmelo, Valerie Pachner

3. Black Earth Rising, 2018

It starts off slowly, if a bit unevenly, but Black Earth Rising gradually finds its footing over the course of eight episodes. The series, a political thriller that takes a closer look at the legality of international war crimes, is led by the ever-commanding Michaela Coel and always-reliable John Goodman.

As the Rwandan adoptee and legal investigator Kate Ashby, Coel attempts to reconcile her internal turmoil with that of the cases she's tasked with. She's at once indignant and empathetic, shut off and loving. She wants to be grateful for surviving a genocide and finding a home in the UK, but guilt is eating away at her. On top of the dangers that she faces as a refugee and investigator, Kate is also dealing with depression, and it's a testament to the show's skill that her condition is treated with as much thought and care as the other, more excitable aspects of the show.

As Kate digs deeper into the mystery of who she is and exposes, along the way, the bloody involvement of different countries and institutes in African affairs, we’re forced to confront ethical questions (difficult but necessary) that stay with us long after the credits have rolled.

Genre: Crime, Drama

Actor: Abena Ayivor, Danny Sapani, Emmanuel Imani, Harriet Walter, John Goodman, Lucian Msamati, Michaela Coel, Noma Dumezweni, Ronald Guttman, Tamara Tunie, Tyrone Huggins

Director: Hugo Blick

Rating: TV-MA