This Tuesday evening, M6 launches the broadcast of “Spies of Terror”, a mini-series in four episodes which takes us to the heart of the French intelligence services. Is fiction worth a look? Our review.
The attacks of November 13, 2015 left their mark on the French population. In just a few minutes, this completely ordinary Friday evening turned into a real nightmare, when a group of terrorists attacked several emblematic places in the capital, killing more than 130 people.
Faced with the horror of the events, the services of the DGSI and the DGSE embarked on a relentless hunt to get their hands on the sponsors of these attacks. And it is their story that is told in The Spies of Terror, the new event series from M6, the first two episodes of which are broadcast this Tuesday, November 12 from 9:10 p.m.
At the heart of the hunt for Daesh agents
In the aftermath of the attacks of November 13, the DGSI and DGSE teams are mobilizing to find the sponsors and thus prevent a new tragedy from occurring.
Lucie, an anti-terrorist agent from the DGSI played by Fleur Geffrier, is more determined than ever to advance the investigation. She does not hesitate to join forces with Malika (Rachida Brakni), an experienced DGSE analyst. They will thus combine their forces, but also their resources, to put an end to this hunt as quickly as possible.
For his part, Vincent (Vincent Elbaz), a major in the territorial DGSI of Lille, does everything possible to protect his new source, nicknamed Minotaure, who brings them valuable information on French jihadists.
But can he really trust her? For several months, Spies of Terror follows these men and women who are ready to do anything to protect France from new attacks, at the risk of jeopardizing their private lives and awakening certain scars.
An exciting mini-series
Addressing the attacks of November 13 in such a frank manner could have been perilous. However, Franck Philippon, the screenwriter, has achieved the feat of offering us a gripping mini-series which brings to the screen the work of Matthieu Suc, a journalist from Mediapart specializing in issues of terrorism.
The Spies of Terror is in fact the adaptation of his eponymous investigative book published in 2018 which looked in detail at the functioning of the secret services of the Islamic State. The journalist also put his expertise at the service of the mini-series since he helped write the scenarios.
Far from the clichés of the genre, The Spies of Terror takes us on a gripping hunt, made up of successes, but also many failures, and tells us a story that we, ordinary mortals, have never had the chance to know .
Because the most important thing in this series is to show the hard work of these agents who, for several years, put their lives aside in the hope of preventing a new tragedy.
A five-star cast
And if The Spies of Terror makes a point of plunging us into the heart of the French secret services, Franck Philippon, the screenwriter, also wanted to focus on the characters, and especially on the psychological effect that this work had on them.
He took care to explore the intimate sphere to show the impact of this stalking on their private lives. A dimension which shows us that these protagonists, often seen as heroes, are also affected by events.
This intimate aspect of the story is reinforced by the talent of the actors who play the main characters. Fleur Geffrier, the rising star of French television who will soon appear in Rivages, manages to bring sensitivity to the character of Lucie Kessler, without ever falling into excess.
The same goes for Rachida Brakni, who plays DGSE agent Malika Berthier, a strong and independent woman who nevertheless has to face difficulties in her family life. Pierre Perrier and Vincent Elbaz are obviously not left out, and complete this cast in tune.
If The Spies of Terror is flawless, two additional episodes would not have been too much to allow us to better understand and better store all the information used, which is sometimes a little too dense.
The fact remains that The Spies of Terror is an effective mini-series that should not be missed!
Catch the first two episodes of Spies of Terror this Tuesday, November 12 from 9:10 p.m. on M6.
