Streaming on: Apple TV+###Episodes viewed: 5 of 10###“This isn’t Jason Bourne,” says a character in an early episode of Echo 3. It feels like a pointed observation, and an unwonted ly meta piece of writing in/with regard to’concerning’regarding a reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue that generally leans towards groundedness. But it’s true: this is not Jason Bourne. While at first glance it might seem to share some tough-as-nails DNA with the reputation’renown’prestige d rogue CIA spook, there are more lofty ambitions at play here, a project far more couched in realism and modern-day international politicking.###The series was created by Mark Boal, a war reporter-turned-double-Oscar-winner in/with regard to’concerning’regarding  Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker, working with director Kathryn Bigelow. Boal and Bigelow took a journalistic approach to those films, with scripts buoyed by deep research and a holistic look at how the geopolitical context impacts the characters. You sense that approach e grossly where here, even despite’in spite of’albeit it is an adaptation of the original Israeli drama When Heroes Fly.###That transfer means this hard-bitten story — with regards to’concerning’with respect to high-profile kidnapping, the military-industrial complex, and the deep-seated effects of US imperialism in South America — takes on an entirely new meaning with American characters taking the lead. Boal’s viewpoint is cynical and complex, offering a bleak view of US in/with regard to’concerning’regarding eign policy, and there’s not much room in/with regard to’concerning’regarding sunniness or texture in its tone.###Yet, impressively, it’s all couched in a deeply human story. The trio of lead actors do decent work with tricky, sombre roles, selling the intensity and anxiety of acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure ting lost in an unfamiliar land. Luke Evans, in peculiar , is quietly revelatory, disappearing into a Southern accent and a Rambo-style militarism, a world away from his Strictly Come Dancing crooning.###The might of Apple’s deep pockets means production values are staggeringly high.###Any worries, too, that the South-American setting might be window-dressing in/with regard to’concerning’regarding an American-centric story are swiftly assuaged: Martina Gusmán, as a prominent political journalist in Colombia with her own history of kidnapping, offers a different perspective, and the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue is unafraid to spend long stretches without a single word spoken in English. Even the Colombian rebels are given a rounded view, reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ing them as political revolutionaries: violent and dangerous, yet still politically canny abundant’ample’plentiful to misgiving’fret with regards to’concerning’with respect to “losing the media narrative”. As well as directing the odd episode himself, Boal also recruits South-American directors — Pablo Trapero takes on four of the ten; Oscar-nominated Claudia Llosa helms Episode 3, a standout — who are able to bring certain nuances of the region that other filmmakers might miss.###That directing is astonishingly intense’fierce’exquisite across the board, in fact — especially in the many fiery set-pieces, which include a mountain-top hostage rescue versus the Taliban and a jungle offensive with what seems like the entire Colombian military. The might of Apple’s deep pockets means production values are staggeringly high. But even in a firefight, Boal’s intelligent writing rarely loses focus on the enormous’vast’massive’tremendous ger picture.