The spies of our late age of social media and assault rifles are still committed to blackmail and poison. In this respect they have more in common with the courtiers of an Elizabethan play than the villains and heroes of a Hollywood spy thriller. James Bond settles matters with his gadgets. Bullets blast and fly in the Bourne series. But in the real world of spies, poison is the way to get the thing done. From the BBC:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, Kim Jong-nam, died after an apparent poison attack in the airport in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday... Exactly how the attack unfolded is still unclear. Officials and witnesses have variously said he was splashed with a chemical or had a cloth placed over his face. Earlier reports spoke of a "spray" being used or a needle.
Recall the Umbrella Murder, or, more recently, the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.
We can agree that the last big moment for poison in cinema was in D.O.A, which was made in 1950, the middle of the Red Scare. After that, poison lost its appeal and power on the screen. But evidently not in the real world. What is too theatrical for Hollywood (the prick, the drip in the cup, the gradual decomposition of the body, the final words) is still just right for our spies in the shadows, our spies on the city streets, or our spies in the airports...
