Ride or Die: Review

It would be easy to write off the eight-episode series Ride Or Die as a wannabe.

After all, it riffs on so many familiar ideas - the concept of a friend hiding a secret life from another, a Thelma and Louise-style car and cliff moment, a heroine whose initials are JB and whose opening appearance is an homage to the wintry The Spy Who Loved Me's action scene. 

The references are plenty in this tale of homemaker Debbie (Octavia Spencer) and her best friend Judith (Hannah Waddingham). Friends for over 20 years, Debbie's world is rocked when she discovers Judith is an assassin and the pair is forced on the run through Europe as they try to unravel a conspiracy.

Ride Or Die has a thrilling premiere, directed by Ant-Man's Peyton Reed. Its mix of mystery and typical spy action is fuelled by the chemistry and heart between Waddingham and Spencer.

From Judith's opening salvo of going rogue on a job to stab someone in the heart through to general action that's taut and pacy, the series gets off to a cracking start that mixes the buddy comedy with a genuine heart as the bond between the pair is stretched to breaking point. Add in a plot that sees her agency try to move her on as she becomes a "Woman of a Certain Age" as she approaches 50, and you've got the hint of something a little different.

And yet later episodes start to feel a sag as the weight of the Albanian mob, a conspiracy involving the agency's director (Bill Nighy, solid but relatively impassive), a rogue assassin and political shenanigans all collide uneasily together. Plus, pre-title flashback sequences are so short that they rarely add anything to proceedings in terms of depth and narrative. Six episodes would have sufficed, as opposed to a bloated eight.

But the series' drawcard and its aces remain Waddingham and Spencer. 

Whether it's Judith's ferocious skills in hand-t0-hand sequences or dealing with the changing nature of everything that's thrown at her, Waddingham simply gets it done and has a blast doing so. It's a real pleasure to watch her flex more than just supporting muscles to become the leading lady she's truly meant to be.

However, every hero needs a foil or, in this case, a support - and Spencer more than brilliantly does that too. From organising her inept husband's political diary to seizing the opportunities that come her way, her Debbie is as solid as you'd want a character to be to ensure both the fun and heart of a friendship are kept on the boil.

It's depressing to even state that there should be more series led by women and high in the action stakes on our screens but Ride Or Die makes a compelling case for how the format could thrive. 

Yes, there's a predictability here as it plays out and an ending that suggests those involved expect more - but for a first season, if the uneven edges are reined in, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

All eight episodes of Ride Or Die were viewed for the purpose of this review.
Ride Or Die is streaming now on Prime Video.