DVD Review: Restless

Nominated for numerous awards, the star-studded WWII spy thriller Restless debuts on DVD on November 10, 2015 from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. Rising star Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s Agent Carter) plays Eva Delectorskaya in this adaptation of William Boyd’s novel. Switching between the 1970s and 1939, it recounts a young woman’s discovery that her mother was recruited to be a spy during WWII. Featuring an all-star cast including Rufus Sewell (The Man in High Castle, Zen, John Adams), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter films), Restless immerses viewers in the mystery, deception, romance, and action of WWII. Originally broadcast on the U.K.’s BBC One and on the Sundance Channel in the U.S. in 2012, the miniseries also stars Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Broadchurch, Dexter), who was Emmy®-nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role, and Adrian Scarborough (The King’s Speech, Les Miserables). This DVD Single features two feature-length episodes ($34.99, AcornOnline.com). The miniseries is also available to watch at any time on Acorn TV, the premier streaming service for world class television from Britain and beyond at www.Acorn.TV.

Based on the bestselling spy novel by William Boyd and boasting a “fabulous British cast” (Los Angeles Times), this award-winning BBC drama is a tale of passion, duplicity, and betrayal. Ruth Gilmartin (Michelle Dockery) is stunned to learn that her mother, Sally (Charlotte Rampling), has been living a double life. Her real name is Eva Delectorskaya (Haley Atwell), she worked as a spy for the British Secret Service in the 1940s, and now someone is stalking her.

Rampling is “armed and dangerous and bewitching” (Salon) in a story that shifts back and forth in time between the 1970s and WWII. Eva is recruited by the suave, persuasive Lucas Romer (Rufus Sewell) and trained for a crucial mission. When things go terribly wrong, she is forced to go into hiding. Thirty years later, her cover blown, she turns to her daughter for help and faces her former spymaster, Romer, now Baron Mansfield of Hampton Cleeve (Michael Gambon). Will she ever feel safe again?

Street Date: November 10, 2015                                    SRP: $34.99                  SDH Subtitles

DVD Single: 2 feature-length episodes – Approx. 185 min. - UPC 0-54961-2427-9-5 / ISBN 978-1-62172-427-8

My Thoughts 

Restless is an outstanding historical drama.  It's inspired by William Boyd's novel and is primarily set in Europe during WWII.  The show was a mini series that was broken down into two parts.  In the first part, it starts out with a hippie named Ruth who goes to visit her mother  and finds that she is terrified that someone is hiding in the woods.  She admits to having been a spy in her youth and asks her daughter to find her former partner Lucas Romer.  Ruth is given a journal about about her mother's life as Eva the spy. As she reads, we flash back to 1939 and watch the tale unfold.

Eva is never given weapons or formal training, but is used as a seductress.  She and Romer try to rescue a Dutch informant but he winds up getting executed when she is given the wrong password. Many similar episodes unfold including Eva being forced to witness a murder made to look like a suicide. There is also a little romance between Eva and Romer despite his arrogant attitude.

This was a great mini series that was shot on location in Europe. Costumes were beautiful and realistic of the time period and the actors all did a great job. Even the vehicles in the film are authentic and add to the realism. Anyone who enjoys historical drama, especially centered around WWII, is going to love this series.   To grab a copy for yourself, head over to Acorn Media or Amazon.