Litvinenko (2022) User Reviews

It's definitely worth a look.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 7 July 2023]

The Metropolitan Police investigate the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former member of The Russian FSB, now a British Citizen, who is poisoned with deadly agent, plutonium. The Police get some time with the murder victim ahead of his death.

David Tennant was the face of this drama, every advert showed a picture of him, and there is a chilling similarity between Tennant in that hospital bed, and the real life Litvinenko, the big surprise, Tennant only features in one episode.

I really did enjoy it, it seeks to explore the story, details the investigation into the poisoning, and shows the farcical situation in which British officers went on an information seeking mission to Moscow. The one thing it doesn't do, is give enough insight into Litvinenko himself, they could have spent some more time detailing his past.

Episode one is the standout, it's an excellent, gritty, tragic affair, what follows is different, but enjoyable, not as gritty, sometimes a little frivolous, but interesting.

I'm struck by the role the media had in the case, they always seemed to be one step ahead, somebody was clearly leaking information.

A brave drama to make, especially when you think of the current state of affairs between Russia and The West.

It made for an interesting watch.

7/10.

Fascinating true story

[peterrichboy · 8/10 · 22 June 2023]

If this was from a book by John Le Carrier telling a tale of a former traitor to the Russian state, who was poisoned to death whilst living in London by the most lethal poison on earth then you would dismiss it as piece of fiction.

But this was no Cold War piece of fiction but a truly frightening tale of the lengths that Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin would go to, to take out Sasha Litvnenko a former Russian agent.

Rather like the Salisbury poisonings this was Putins way of sticking up two fingers to the west. With compulsive evidence from CCTV to trace's of Polonium found, it became impossible to get the killers to trial due to a communist regime and diplomatic immunity.

With high production costs and superb performances throughout I would highly recommend this show. 8/10.

Very informative & good drama

[melvillelegg · 7/10 · 28 June 2023]

I didn't think I'd be convinced that I could forget it was David Tennant in the leading role but the acting and drama was good and gripping enough that I did. It reminded me of some of Vladimir Putins past that I had forgotten. It's a shame that Mrs Litvinenko didn't have a better wig. I found it quite irritating. It was so obviously a wig and this was not necessary. Good performance by all cast. Mark Bonnar kept his London accent very well. One could really get the sense of frustration that the police officers faced. The scale of the possible danger to the British public was better reflected in the accounts of the accompanying program where the real people involved were explaining their part.

Thank you Mr Poutine

[searchanddestroy-1 · 2 February 2023]

I am still astonished by this short TV series. It begins by the death of Litvinenko, poisoned in London, in 2006, and proceeds with the meticulous investigation that was made by the British authorities to find out how the Russian Poutine opponent was killed. To find out in deep accuracy, to the least detail. It is absolutely stunning, riveting, poignant. You are absorbed, swallowed by this story for which you already know how it ends. Now, in 2023, during war in Ukraine, it resonates even deeper, stronger; we can see how Russian - NOT RUSSIAN PEOPLE,BEWARE - authorities are liars, masters in the art of duplicity.and treachery. I fell off my coach after seeing the sequence where the Russian government smiling lady gives the British police officer the tape supposed to have the record of the Russian agent interview. A recording tape supposed to be used as a proof. I already told to myself that the British cop should have a tape recorder machine to check, rightaway, just in front of the lady, but no, he takes the tape and that's all. And guess what? Of course the recording tape was blank.... Russians....

Serviceable recreation of true life drama

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 30 January 2023]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko (David Tennant), a former FSB agent who had relocated to London, was poisoned and taken to hospital. Detectives Brent Hyatt (Neil Maskell) and DS Clive Thomas (Mark Bonner) are sent to take his statement, and anything his wife, Marina (Margarita Levieva) has to say, only for Litvinenko to make the claim that his poisoning is the work of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. After his death, a seemingly straightforward murder investigation spirals into a saga of diplomatic relations and international espionage.

I can recall in late 2006 when the story of Alexander Litvinenko was in the papers, even if I didn't follow the story closely, but it definitely caught my eye, so I'm surprised I've dragged my heels so much getting round to this four part drama chronicling the events in the immediate aftermath of it happening. With the current sanctions placed by the UK on Russia in the aftermath of the on-going war in Ukraine, it highlights the amount of dirty money from Russia that's been keeping the economy afloat for so long, and just how much of a blind eye that's been turned to Putin's wrongdoing on British soil, and so there's an uncomfortable prescience to this if nothing else.

The story seems to have been recreated quite accurately and believably, without any corny sensationalism, sadly it plays out in a pretty robotic, workmanlike way that doesn't allow the human drama to blossom in quite the way it should. Performances wise, in the lead role, Tennant brings the titular character to life as well as could be hoped for, in a role with inevitably limited screen time, while there's sturdy support from Levieva as his emotionally overwhelmed but strong willed wife, along with Maskell and Bonner as the hard nosed detectives determined to get justice for the Litvinenkos. In the second act, as the murdered man's past becomes more clear, the tone uncomfortably shifts from straight laced drama to something a little more easy going, even if the dark core of the drama remains.

Overall, it's a perfectly serviceable drama, with all the cylinders firing in the right places, just somewhat perfunctory and without that extra energy required to really give it a kick. ***

Utterly solid gold - best drama on TV for years

[armstrongd_uk · 10/10 · 28 December 2022]

Having spent several years working in Moscow, I began watching through personal interest, but rapidly became hooked by the superb quality of this production on every level, in every department. The whole cast should feel massively proud of what they have achieved with this. They have done the Litvinenkos proud. Marina Litvinenko was beautifully portrayed, and David Tennant did a great job as the man himself. Best drama we've seen on any TV channel for years, including Line of Duty, The Crown, and all the other flagships. This is a true must watch.......hope it reaches the widest possible audience worldwide.

Brilliant!!!

[linbutler · 10/10 · 16 December 2022]

While this is a sad story and a tough subject to approach, the entire cast did a superb job. I cannot think of better actors to have done this project justice. Well done!

While for me, the 4 part mini series went quickly due to understanding the nature of the politics involved. You could see that the overall cast and most likely crew were very devoted to getting the story told properly.

Definitely award worthy as this is so poignant today. After listening to Marina speak of the struggles to get this series made and her take on it, I'm so glad it was not glammed up or changed to be "hollywood-ish".

ITV at their very best - a great binge watch.

[Steve_from_Wales · 10/10 · 4 February 2023]

This was stunningly good. The Missus wanted to watch it for David, her sex symbol, but it was once past that an excellent dramatisation of one of Putin's first big impacts on the UK.

A solid piece of drama with a well-written script that reflected the realities of the time well. Nice use of props, I didn't spot a single phone or computer that wasn't around at the time!

A lot of filming in Cardiff, which gave us a smile or two as London locations were clearly places we see every day :-)

The UK government's response to things is depressing, but hey, everything about this government has been depressing too, has it not?

Unmasking A Murderer

[moveebuff1953 · 9/10 · 11 January 2023]

This is a brilliant insight into the murderous Russian regime. The deniability on every level is laughable.

David Tennant's portrayal of Litvinenko is brilliant. Margarita Levieva as his wife is solid and believable.

This is not only a drama but a thriller true crime which will hook you from the first the first episode.

I hope that those who watch Litvinenko will understand the difficulty of bringing justice to those in power.

Mark Bonner, Neil Maskell along with supporting cast are brilliant. It is obvious that a lot of care was taken to depict the true story of a murder that was orchestrated by an evil regime.

Curiously flat telling of the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 5/10 · 16 December 2022]

I'm afraid this four part series on ITV fell rather flat. There's a dramatic story to be told but the way it has been structured seemed to suck the dramatic life out of it as we start with his poisoning and then follow the investigation.

We never really get to know the man, his previous life as an FSB agent and the reasoning behind his defection before he disappears from the show. All the characters seemed oddly subdued all the time.

I thought Tennant was decent and so were the cast, production values were good but the script let it down it was quite one-paced and lacked dramatic tension.

Personally I found the documentaries I had seen about the case more moving.

Not awful but it would have had more emotional impact if viewers were given more opportunity to bond with Litvinenko before his assassination. I know how the story ends so I won't be sticking with this one, a miss.

This is worth watching

[Madazican · 9/10 · 17 December 2022]

I don't normally do reviews, but, this needed one, i am not normally one that watches drama, but on the other hand i do like ones based on true stories.

IMHO this was done well, it had me intrigued the whole way through the 4 episodes, and even had some tear invoking moments.

Now i will say this, i don't know much of the original story, but this sure as hell opens your eyes to it, even if it's dramatised a bit, it still does the job brilliantly, and also was released at a brilliant time, considering what is going on with Russia & Ukraine right now, it pretty much brings to light how evil Putin is, and that he was never a good person, simple as that.

Well done to the people involved, it was the best 180 or so minutes drama i have watched.

Murderous audacity

[pjdickinson-27822 · 9/10 · 20 June 2023]

The audacity of Putin to have his minions murder British citizens on the streets of Britain is beyond belief. First, this using radiological warfare and later using a banned nerve agent. This and the later events in Salisbury were shocking and showed the world what an appalling and murderous dictator Putin is. The painstaking investigation which proves what happened can be a little sterile but it would be. Obviously, Tennant is not in it long but very good use is made of his time and he delivers a fantastic performance. The whole cast do very well in their roles and the producers deserve praise for recreating these terrible events.

Why Moscow is green in December?

[olgaolga-66202 · 9/10 · 17 December 2022]

Still watching, so can not give the final rate for now, but i really wonder why in the 3 episode, when the team came to Moscow and tried to talk with the suspects in DECEMBER they all wear suits and just the suits? And the trees are green?

Dear producers, with all respect, do you know where is Moscow located on the map?

The actors are playing great, all the tv show dramatic and strong, but how the producers could make such a big error with the weather? It's not professional, especially for such big project as this one, based on the real events.

PS: Special tribute to Margarita Levieva and David Tennant, great job, perfect cast.

A MUST watch

[VaVaVoom55 · 10/10 · 31 January 2023]

Very good casting, nice plot and accordingly accurate account of events, not too long.

First of all, let me say - this is long overdue. It's 2006. So even in the beginning of his dictatorship Putin was not afraid of killing his ex-spies or other enemies in the center of London/Sallisbury/Moscow/you name it. Meanwhile, the presidents of Western countries were shaking Putin's hand and making various trades with him. You cannot make trades with criminal and mass murderer. You simply cannot. And the war in Ukraine shows you exactly that.

Second, it shows that either FSB (russian special service, ex-KGB) agents are extremely audacious or extremely stupid (possibly both though). Because they were traced and everything and still adamantly denied everything making absurd versions of actual events.

Fair start, weak ending

[chordacopious · 4/10 · 21 May 2023]

The first two episodes were moderately engaging, as the British authorities conduct their investigation into Litvinenko's mysterious poisoning. But once the mystery is solved and we learn that the culprits cannot be brought to justice in the UK, we're then subjected to two more episodes tediously depicting legal efforts to "prove to the world" what everybody already knows. The big dramatic courtroom scene in which Putin and the Russian government are tried in absentia was laughably banal and totally anticlimactic.

The series is clearly intended to propagandize viewers into supporting NATO's proxy war in Ukraine, and I guess it achieves that goal. But do we really need to watch four hours of melodrama in order to be convinced that Putin is a bad guy?

Powerful and disturbing David Tennant superb

[tm-sheehan · 9/10 · 7 April 2024]

My Review - Litvenko Streaming on SBS on Demand My Rating 9/10

David Tennant is truly outstanding cast as Alexander Litvenko the British naturalised Russian defector and former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service.

Litvenko was poisoned and eventually died of radiation chemicals in 2006 aged 44.

Equally impressive in this series is Mark Bonnar who is cast as Detective Superintendent Clive Timmons who is in charge of one of the most serious murder cases in British history.

Based on actual events Detective Timmons is the first person to believe that the incredibly ill Litvenko is probably the only murder victim he has investigated that is still alive and slowly dying of radiation poisoning.

Litvenko bedridden in hospital relays the events that caused his horrific poisoning in an attempt to find justice and expose his assassin.

Alexander Litvenko totally is convinced that Vladimir Putin has been instrumental in ordering his death and as the detective discovers how contamination with anything that's related to the case can cause death this 4 part series takes off in a thrilling way.

This series also has an impressive ensemble cast directed by Jim Field Smith with a great script by George Kay who also created the top rating drama Lupin .

The series is even more fascinating especially in view of the recent events in Russia and the death of Alexei Navalny I highly recommend it .

Litvinenko

[studioAT · 1/10 · 27 June 2023]

Well, this was ok I suppose the first time.

David Tennant is one of the best actors we have in the UK, and although his accent work could use a bit of adjustment, he carries this well.

But did ITV really need to repeat it just over a year after it originally debuted? No is my resounding answer.

It's fine, it's ok ITV drama, but it's certainly not either ground-breaking or good enough to be some sort of programme whipped out to fill the gaping hole in their schedules.

A real sign that the corporation have no new ideas, and are trying to fob us all off with sloppy seconds.

Nobody else seems to have picked them up on it though.

Could have been excellent!

[vixescape · 5/10 · 22 February 2024]

Just got round to seeing this as I was always been fascinated by the horrible murder of Sasha Litvinenko. The adverts for this at the time showed a lot of the superb David Tennent, yet dissapointingly for me, his talents are only featured in the first episode. The acting from some of the cast is also a little subpar & the story telling is quite slow in places, but overall this is a reasonable, watchable drama.

If you are looking to watch this as a way of discovering some of Mr Litvinenko's fascinating background, I feel you will be sadly dissapointed. The story mostly revolves around the British police investigation into the poisoning & the potential effects such a poisoning could have had on the safety & security of Britain. This is essentially a police drama, & dispite the title, it is not a biography of this intelligent but tragic man. However the title gives us the impression that this drama would revolve around Mr Litvinenko himself, but it dosen't. This is such a shame.

In my honest opinion David Tennent should have featured in more than one episode, as his acting in this role is absolutely sublime. Even his Russian accent is near perfect. His part in this drama really show cases his awesome talent at playing all kinds of eclectic characters, effortlessly. I feel his talent is almost wasted in this here, which is sad. That said, however, if you enjoy a true to life police drama, you will certainly enjoy this, but be prepared for a superb first two episodes, yet the second two are something of a let down. Lastly if you are going to make a drama about a real life event & have the main character name in the title, at least make the drama more centred on that character, because "Litvinenko" is not about the man, himself, but rather the investigation that follows after his very tragic death. 5 stars for David Tennent. You are a credit to you're proffession sir x.