Strike Back
2010
Original language: English
- drama
- action & adventure
The story
The series follows John Porter, a former British Special Forces soldier, who is drafted back into service by Section 20, a fictional branch of the Secret Intelligence Service.
What it’s like
Hard-edged and kinetic, with restless handheld camerawork, cold blue and grey palettes, and interiors lit by flat fluorescents and the glow of monitors, cut against sun-bleached desert, jungle canopy and rain-slick urban night. The score leans on pulsing electronic beats and tense strings, and gunfire and explosions are loud and frequent. Violence is regular and sometimes graphic: shootings, hand-to-hand fights and bloody wounds appear across episodes, along with threats, torture and some sexual content. The tone is serious and tightly plotted, with short scenes, quick cuts and a steady escalation toward climaxes. Emotionally it stays close to its men and women under pressure, following a disciplined ex-soldier pulled back into covert work and his uneasy bonds with colleagues he cannot fully trust. Best for viewers who want sustained tension, operational detail and military-espionage momentum, not gentle or low-stakes viewing.
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