“Cillian Murphy and Helen Mirren Ignite the Screen in a Spy Thriller So Twisted and Seductive, You Won’t Know Who’s Lying Until the Final Shot — The ‘Spectacular’ Espionage Drama Airing Tonight Will Leave You Breathless”!

Buckle up, Bond fans and binge-watchers – tonight’s TV lineup is serving up a cocktail of glamour, gunfire, and gut-punch twists that’ll have you questioning every sultry glance and shadowy deal. At 9pm on Film4, Luc Besson’s 2019 spy thriller Anna slinks back onto screens, starring the magnetic Cillian Murphy and the imperious Helen Mirren in a cat-and-mouse game so seductive and sinister, you’ll be second-guessing loyalties until the final frame. Picture this: a stunning Soviet model moonlighting as a KGB assassin, juggling Paris fashion weeks with high-stakes hits, all while double-crossing the CIA in a web of betrayal that makes Atomic Blonde look like a tea party. Critics called it “spectacular” for its stylish set pieces, while audiences rave it’s “packed with twists even 007 wouldn’t see coming.” With Murphy as a cunning CIA operative and Mirren as a no-nonsense KGB handler, this pulse-racer isn’t just drama – it’s a deadly ballet of beauty and bullets. And as it streams on Channel 4 post-broadcast, it’s the perfect guilty pleasure for a chilly autumn night. But is Anna the underrated gem it deserves to be, or just another Besson bomb? We’ve got the full lowdown on the plot, the power players, the panning critics, and why this drama’s got more layers than a Russian doll. Spoiler: it’s dangerous, darling – and you won’t want to miss it.

Let’s rewind the reel to 2019, when Anna – stylized as ANИA in a cheeky nod to Cyrillic cool – hit cinemas like a silenced pistol shot. Directed, written, and produced by French maestro Luc Besson, the man behind Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, and La Femme Nikita (the blueprint for every female assassin flick since), this $30 million Euro-thriller promised to blend high fashion with high body counts. It delivered – sort of. Opening in the US on June 21, 2019, via Summit Entertainment, it clawed its way to $7.7 million domestically and a global haul of $31.6 million, barely breaking even after marketing costs. That’s a far cry from Lucy‘s $469 million windfall in 2014, but hey, in the spy genre, survival’s half the game. Fast-forward to 2025, and Anna‘s getting a resurrection on Film4 – perhaps buoyed by Murphy’s Oppenheimer glow-up (seven Oscar nods, one win) and Mirren’s eternal Dame power. As it airs tonight at 9pm, followed by a Channel 4 stream, expect a surge: Netflix saw it climb charts in 2024 with 11.7 million hours viewed, proving audiences crave this catwalk carnage more than critics’ catcalls.

At its core, Anna is a tale of temptation and treachery, set against the glittering grit of 1980s-90s Cold War shadows. Our heroine? Anna Poliatova (Sasha Luss, a supermodel-turned-actress making her feature debut), a stunning Russian beauty trapped in a cycle of abuse and desperation. At 18, she’s recruited by the KGB – not for her brains (though she’s sharp as a stiletto), but for her looks and lethal potential. “Beneath Anna Poliatova’s striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world’s most feared government assassins,” the tagline purrs. Under the iron fist of handler Olga (Helen Mirren), Anna trains in combat, seduction, and survival, promising five years of service for freedom – and a new identity. Posing as a rising fashion model in Paris, she struts runways by day and silences targets by night, her wardrobe a weapon: leather catsuits for kills, Chanel for covers. But when CIA agent Lenny Miller (Cillian Murphy) sniffs her out, Anna’s forced into a double-agent tango – or is she playing everyone? The plot zips nonlinearly, flashing between 1985 Moscow massacres, 1990 Paris poses, and a 1992 finale where loyalties snap like garrotes. It’s La Femme Nikita redux with a Red Sparrow twist: glamorous, gory, and gloriously over-the-top, with enough double-crosses to dizzy a defector.

Enter the titans: Cillian Murphy as Lenny Miller, the brooding CIA operative with ice-blue eyes and a vendetta sharper than his suits. Murphy, 49, fresh off Peaky Blinders and pre-Oppenheimer (where he channeled atomic angst into Oscar gold), brings brooding intensity to Lenny – a man haunted by a 1985 KGB hit that wiped out nine of his agents. “He’s the hunter who becomes the hunted,” Murphy told Variety in 2019, his soft Irish lilt belying the character’s steel. Lenny spots Anna at a Paris gala, sparking a cat-and-mouse where flirtation flirts with fatality. Murphy’s sparse screen time (he’s in about 40% of the film) crackles – a tense elevator standoff with Anna, eyes locked like laser sights, is pure tension porn. Post-Oppenheimer, this role feels prophetic: Lenny’s moral maze mirrors Murphy’s atomic anti-hero, blending charm with chill. “Cillian’s the quiet storm,” co-star Luke Evans said on set. “You wait for him to erupt – and when he does, it’s devastating.”

Then there’s Helen Mirren, 80, as Olga, the KGB’s iron lady – a vodka-swilling, no-BS boss with a wardrobe of fur coats and a glare that could freeze the Volga. Mirren, half-Russian by birth (her grandfather was a tsarist admiral), chews scenery like it’s beluga caviar, barking orders in a flawless accent while toying with Anna like a Fabergé egg. “Olga’s the mother I never wanted – tough, twisted, and terrifying,” Mirren quipped at Cannes 2018, where Anna premiered to polite applause. Her scenes with Luss are electric: mentoring montages where Olga imparts assassin wisdom (“Beauty is your blade, darling – wield it wisely”), undercut by Olga’s own shadowy past. Mirren improvised zingers, like a vodka toast gone wrong: “To freedom – or whatever passes for it in this game.” Post-The Queen (Oscar 2007) and Catherine the Great (2019), Mirren’s in renaissance mode – Anna was a palate cleanser, her “audition for Edna in a live-action Incredibles,” as RogerEbert.com joked. “Helen’s the film’s spark,” The Guardian noted. “Without her, it’s just stylish slaughter.”

Sasha Luss, 32, anchors it all as Anna – a breakout with poise and peril. Spotted by Besson at a Paris Fashion Week afterparty (he cast her on the spot, per Vanity Fair), Luss channels vulnerability into venom: wide-eyed innocence flipping to killer instinct in a heartbeat. Her action chops? Trained six months in Krav Maga, she performs 70% of her stunts – from a Paris restaurant shootout (unloaded gun in, body count out) to a Moscow chase on ice. “Sasha’s not just beautiful – she’s believable,” Besson gushed. Critics agreed: IndieWire praised her “guilty pleasure” presence, though some sniped at her “invincibility” as “cheap empowerment.” Luss, a Russian-Ukrainian model (walked for Dior, Chanel), brings authenticity – her ballet-honed grace sells the model’s poise, while gym-honed grit nails the kills. Post-Anna, she’s in Lost in the Stars (2025 Netflix) and a John Wick spin-off buzz. “Anna was my crash course in chaos,” she told Elle. “From runway to rifle – what a rush.”

Supporting the stars: Luke Evans as Alex, Anna’s KGB lover and trainer – a brooding beau with biceps and betrayal in his eyes. Evans, 46 (The Hobbit, Beauty and the Beast), brings smolder and sympathy, their sex scenes steamy but sparse. Alexander Petrov as Piotr, Anna’s mark-turned-mess, adds Russian roulette tension; Lera Abova as Maud, Anna’s model girlfriend, layers in queer-coded complication. Éric Serra’s score – moody synths and strings – pulses like a heartbeat under fire, a Besson staple since Léon. Cinematographer Thierry Arbogast’s lens? Glossy as a Vogue spread: Paris at dusk glows, Moscow’s snow crunches with dread.

Besson, 66, is the film’s wild card – a visionary vandalized by scandal. Anna screams his DNA: female fury (Nikita, 1990), nonlinear tricks (Lucy), over-the-top ops (restaurant massacre to INXS’ “Need You Tonight”). But 2018 allegations – nine women accusing him of harassment and assault – tainted its promo; EuropaCorp (his studio) filed bankruptcy amid #MeToo fallout. Besson denies all, but Anna‘s release was hushed – no red carpets, minimal press. “It’s overshadowed,” LA Times lamented, yet it thrives on streaming: Netflix’s 2024 bump (top 10 in 50 countries) proves Besson’s bombast endures. “He’s the same filmmaker he was 20 years ago,” Variety shrugged – for better (stylish kills) or worse (predictable plots). Anna apes Nikita too closely, critics cried: “A smug repackaging,” per Rotten Tomatoes (34% from 73 reviews, average 4.9/10). The Guardian: “Overwhelming blandness… Besson can’t choreograph a pulse-racer.” IndieWire: “Repetitive gunplay, heroine’s invincibility a cheap substitute.” Globe and Mail: “Uncompelling.” Metacritic’s 40/100 echoes: “Mixed or average.”

Yet audiences adore it – IMDb’s 6.7/10 from 105,000 votes (81% positive on PostTrak, B+ CinemaScore). “Spectacular assassin flick with twists!” one raves. “Entertaining ride, trust the positives,” says another. “Fun, frenetic – Besson at his bonkers best.” It’s a guilty pleasure: nonlinear structure keeps you guessing (flashbacks flagged by dates, avoiding confusion), action pops (that restaurant riff: Anna walks in unarmed, walks out a widow-maker), and the cast carries clichés. “Sasha Luss shines,” RogerEbert.com (2/4 stars) noted, praising her “skill and emotion.” Compared to Atomic Blonde (75% RT) or Red Sparrow (43%), Anna‘s middling – but its campy cool (fetishy outfits, matryoshka twists) hooks home viewers. Box office? Modest $31.6M vs. $30M budget – 158th of 2019, trailing UglyDolls. Yet on Netflix, it’s a sleeper hit, proving streaming revives the reviled.

Why watch tonight? In 2025’s spy surge (The Agency, Black Doves), Anna‘s a retro romp – pre-stream polish, pure Besson bombast. Murphy’s pre-Oppenheimer menace? Mirren’s Oscar bait? Luss’s launchpad? It’s a time capsule of 2019 cinema, scandals and all. Film4’s 9pm slot – post-The Crown vibes – pairs perfectly with Channel 4’s stream (alongside Bridge of Spies, A Man Called Otto). “Better than Mare of Easttown?” some buzz, but that’s ITV’s The Double hyperbole. Anna‘s no masterpiece – “no innovation,” Variety sighed – but its seductive sins (stylish kills, seductive spies) make it a thrill. As Olga toasts: “To the game – may the best liar win.”

So, tune in at 9pm – or stream later – and let Anna assassinate your evening. In a world of predictable plots, this one’s a loaded gun: glamorous, gory, and gloriously unpredictable. Will Anna escape her double life? Who’s bluffing – the KGB, CIA, or you? One thing’s sure: with Murphy and Mirren, it’s a killer lineup. Lights, camera, deception – tonight’s TV just got fatally fabulous.