So have you seen Bodyguard yet? Share your thoughts in the comments! As always, a big shout-out to our supporters on Patreon! If you would like to further support our channel and get some pretty sweet benefits in return, check out our Patreon page: www.patreon.com/amatterofilm . When we reach our goal, we'll make a video on one of the best T.V. Series today (and one of our favorites): Mr. Robot!
Bodyguard is one of my all-time favourite shows! I loved the complexity of David and the stoic personality of Julia, which changes whenever something important happens. The chemistry between the two was fantastic and I loved every single second. Seeing as I am British, I got to watch this when it aired and it felt so real and new to me! I had watched Crime Damas before, but never anything as good as this. No wonder it's been nominated for 2 Golden Globes! I loved how scary it was and how intense it was. But the best thing about it was Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes's performances. Definitely worth the watch!
Honestly, the opening twenty minutes of bodyguard was the most intense scene in television I'd ever seen... Until episode 2, which had the most intense sequence ever... Until episode 3 And episode 6 with the standoff was just phenomoninal. I cannot wait for the next season.
Excellent British show that had our entire nation gripped. Hope it finds a good base of popularity in the US like other high quality shows such as the end of the fucking world.
This was a very smart show. Technicalities and story was very well done. The tension was unbearable and was sustained efficiently. Not a beat wasted. Thanks for writing about this, I’d love for more people to watch it.
Bodyguard: One of the best shows I have seen. The last episode is a bit weak, but I let it slide as all the rest are as near to perfection as you can get. I prefer the action and adrenaline pumping scenes here as they are more real than big budget movies (big budget are supposed to be over the top). Every character is flawed without having to dwell on those flaws, again, like in real life. I will focus on David Budd, not because he is the main protagonist, but his acting is phenomenal, and I can buy into pretty much every aspect of his character. Without making spoilers, in one scene, his adrenaline kicks in and he freezes for a few seconds. Highly believeable, as the body is not sure what is going on right away, and the heart rate has to balance out a bit, then he begins reacting. You don't see this reaction often in film, and it's one of those most spot on parts when sudden violence occurs. I could go on, but just watch Bodyguard, you won't be too disappointed in any aspect. Oh, Richard Madden as James Bond? I didn't even think about this until I saw a post somewhere online about it. Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Richard is a handsome man, but not a pretty boy. He is smart. He is young enough to be a high energy agent with a license to kill. And, the biggee...after watching Bodyguard, his acting skills are top notch and can make watching a pot of water boil become so tense and filled with dread I don't doubt he can pull off whatever schemes they put him in. It would also put full circle to the James Bond Franchise; it begins with a Scottsman (Sean Connery) and can end with one too. Of course, if Richard Madden pulls it off and keeps the franchise huge, they won't end it on a down note. La, words. Richard Madden has fallen into the "whatever he is in, I'll watch it" category.
I just finished bingeing this show last night after having started it in December. It’s was truly fantastic, realistic, yet heightened, subtle yet shocking. Even at its lowest point it was still one of the best shows out there, and at its best, it may be the best mini series I’ve seen in years.
The best thing about this show is the love story, seeing how she opens up to him, seeing her human side, how they fall in love, just to see it all taken away.
I couldn’t believe this narrator didn’t mention the love story. One of the most compelling I’ve ever seen in fictional characters and the reason I am obsessed with this show.
I recommend some British shows to watch. 1. Utopia 2. Peaky blinders 3. The inbetweeners and the two movies 4. Being human 5. The original "shameless" set in Manchester
Excellent review and analysis. I was on the fence about starting this show. Mainly because I’m a former police officer of 14y, retired military veteran, and part-time actor. Often times a series similar to this here in the U.S. can bring about some groan-worthy material. But after seeing your in-depth review I’m definitely going to watch it. Plus, I’m always far more impressed by British procedural shows than those here in the U.S. (except for Southland and Adam-12 being my all-time favorite). For example, I loved Red Cap, The Bill, Ultimate Force, and Babylon.
Thanks for the kind words J. I agree with you, show runners usually go for the easy writing for characters like this type, and it usually comes with a cost. Thanks for the recommendations and come back and be sure to share your thoughts on Bodyguard after you watch it.
On episode 4 of 6 so not going to watch the video just yet for risk of spoilers, but yes this show is great. That opening scene on the train is one of the best TV scenes on recent years, both on US and UK TV.
So many angles on this show to focus on. The realistic status of the country its self, deprived love story, corruption and deceit, The lingo, where it's based and how it affects your views in general, the actors of course!!... and then theres the special effects and operations in code. My favourite part is, "you really can't trust anyone"
Fantastic break down and analysis as always, in many ways I rate your work above that of the subject matter. Am in the UK, so watched The Bodyguard as it aired. And I would recommend it for sure, with the following caveats.... SPOILERS For the BBC, this was indeed good television. It rarely gets to be this good. BUT For all the strong plot and character writing there were some ridiculous and grating errors. The sniper scene made absolutely NO geographical sense. Watch it or watch it again and consider: Where is the sniper during all this? It is awful. Similarly, consider the bomb scene. Watch/rewatch and consider: Analysis of the point of origin of the blast. These are but two examples of glaring problems with the story. For 6 episodes an enormous amount of time is wasted working around or covering for these issues, needlessly in my opinion... Seems weird that something so well written can be so poorly finished in places... This series was hyped A LOT by the BBC and its social media extensions and I wonder if its plot flaws are just a way to set up a second season. I am not the only person to also predict.... Montague is STILL ALIVE!
Excellent review of the best series I have seen in many years! The acting was amazing by all the characters in the series!!! I think that Madden would be a great James Bond. He has the range of Sean Connery, to capture the charming but deadly Bond.
@@AMatterofFilm Thank you! The sniper sequence took about a month to fully come together in VFX but the result was so good and so tense it was worth it!
You're right, Richard Madden is an amazing actor. I found him as Robb Stark on "Game of Thrones" and he's yet to disappoint. He doesn't here at all. I understand what you meant about the show "coming off the rails" but then that added to the paranoia. The final episode just about had me continually hooked to my blood pressure monitor, or I'd have had to take extra meds that's how amped up it was. And the surprise in episode four is quite "Games of Thrones" inspired. Thank you for focusing in on this show. Yes, it was worth the hype.
God I wanne see Madden as James Bond. He is one of my favourite actors by now. He is brilliant both in action scenes and deep ones. He just converts emotions very well and I would love to see him in many more movies. I would absolutely love him as bond. He could be both a badass and an emotional one. It would be awesome.
@@wandayee5522 I hope theyll consider him, he'd be brilliant. He looks the part, he has the charm, he has the physicality and the emotion. He's perfect for it. Madden 07
I watched this in the US before it was released on Netflix via completely legitimate means *coughcough* and it blew me away (unintended pun), really glad it became widespread
It's funny I ended up finding this now, but I loved this video essay. I watched this show in 2018 when it came out in Britain even though I live in North America because I'm a fan of Madden and I like to keep an eye on his projects. I thought the show was incredible, and I especially find the way the show starts off with such a tense, dramatic scene extremely gripping. Although, I tried introducing the show to my family and mentioned how I thought the drama grabbed you from the start due to the opening sequence, and my mom just didn't get it at all. :/
I'm from the US so I was a bit confused at times, but I agree each scene is immensely captivating and unpredictable even though it does start to spin out of control after episode 4, I was all for it.
@@ennediend2865 The government isn't set up quite the same, there really isn't a good US counterpart to the Home Secretary. I am a police officer in the US and it took me a couple moments to pick up the shorthand for labels, like PS Budd. I found it weird that they called out "armed police", why not just police? When US SWAT officers, specialty tactical units, are out they usually just yell police. And a Scotsman yelling out the sniper was 1000 feet from him?
@@aliciaborth3016 We call it an "armed challenge". The whole doctrine around police use of force in the UK (called the National Decision Making model) is routed in de-escalation, and only using such force that is reasonable, justified and proportionate to the threat you face. Although an officer can open fire on a subject without verbally challenging them (for example, during an active shooter incident) the vast majority of times a weapon is drawn by Tactical Firearms Officers, the subject is not in a position to immediately engage and fire first. Verbally challenging them puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the subject. He's told the officer is armed, told (usually) "... do exactly as I say and no harm will come to you." and if they still decide to raise the weapon/fire etc, and is neutralised, legally the officer is fully protected under legislation such as Section 117 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which governs police use of force. Thankfully in the UK, armed officers still rarely engage subjects who are either already opening fire, or are about to open fire, their weapon not being in high-ready. Most armed policing operations are conducted as a result of intelligence gathering, so the subject will be arrested during a preplanned operation involving mobile surveillance. Ideally, you want to take out the threat when it's at it's lowest, so you'll strike when the weapon is not in hand, and usually in a sterile area with minimal risk to the public if shots are fired. In the rare instances that both the subject and the police are trading gunfire, you won't hear the cops shouting "armed police". They will be too busy swearing and cussing over the mountain of paperwork they're gonna have to complete for merely pulling the trigger lol Hope this helps mate, as it's a real head-scratcher, I know!
Spoilers ahead: Brilliant video about a brilliant show. Only thing I didn't like were the last 2 plottwists about who the actual "mastermind" and the bombmaker were. Those 2 charakters made like a 180 turn without any hint beforehand and it kinda felt like they wanted the twist to be as unexpected as possible, even at the cost of sacraficing 2 well written charakters. But for me the final plottwist wasn't the point of wathing Bodyguard. As you said from the very beginning there is that constant feel of dread and paranoia that keeps you on the edge and the ever rising feel of helplessness culminating in the final episodes bomb dilemma. And the thing that shows to me just how good the writing was is that, when David tried to kill himself, I really believed that it could be over. I even started speculating about who could be the new main charakter. 99/100 shows don't get me to doubt wether the protagonist just died or not most of the time you see it comeing. Bodyguard really had me in doubt and that was the point when I was for certain that this show is just awesome.
I watched it and generally enjoyed. I admired the gall of the plot twist that came about halfway through. That said, I did think the series notably dropped in quality from thereon.
Bring Julia back in the next season (PLEASE) In the first season, they didn't show her funeral or her death, so they can bring her back by pretending she was moved to a secure location for her recovery and for her safety announced her death. (an idea for the makers, if they really want one) Really wanna see Julia & David together PLEASE PLEASE
I recently started the show, only 2 episodes in. I love the political thriller angle the show takes! Excited to see how the rest of the season plays out!
Pulling plot twists out of your arse without any build-up or foreshadowing is cheap and nasty storytelling. It ruined for me what was otherwise a brilliant series.
Loved this show and I always come back to this video. It’s just such an incredible break down of this really gripping show and just wanted to know have you ever watched gangs of London another brilliant uk show
The one important question: did Julia only fake her feelings to manipulate or were the lst words before the incident in ep3 a proof for her really falling for David? Me and my bf are still debating now!
Thanks a lot Sam! The music is listed by order of appearance in the credits in the end. Most of the music we use is available on RU-vid's Audio Library.
I did watch the first episode and as impressed, however, like you say, the tension runs high. Often a bit too high for me. Still, I keep thinking I need to watch. I will get to that place in my heart and head one of these days.
Line of Duty is phenomenal. I don't really understand why The Bodyguard got so much more attention and praise. I'm sort of worried now that they aren't going to make another series of Line of Duty because The Bodyguard was so popular. I think they've already confirmed a second series for The Bodyguard and my prediction is that it will be terrible. The first series was a self-contained story that was designed to have a beginning, middle and end. A second series wasn't originally planned so it will probably suffer from the same sorts of problems that other shows and movies have when they're resurrected or brought back due to popular demand alone.
I think the best episode of bodyguard is episode 2,3,6 episode two because is has the most action like the sniper scene and the truck attack. Episode three because the Home Secretary dies. Episode because Nadia is the bomb maker
Guys please i know you have a lot of work but i saw the movie rolerball today from 1975 and would like to ask you to make a video about it.Sorry for my bad english its not my first language
I think this bodyguard character is the best you can get really for two reasons , exactly because he shows emotions means he isn't totally vulnerable . Why ? because when you are afraid your adrenaline kicks in and you are superhuman for a period of time , that in combination with training makes you a terminator . the second reason is that if you have to lose something you are trying harder not to fail , the dog is fast when hunts , but is even faster when someone hunts it down ...those two things make any bodyguard better than Bond , James Bond scenes . An example "John Rambo last blood" if you ever watched this movie or any Rambo movies or Rocky for that reason there is always a reason the protagonist suffers something or someone that he cares about suffers and the killer instinct kicks in ...it's something we can all relate with !!!! that's smart for me