This bewildering spectacle appears to have harboured serious ambitions at some point during development, only to abandon them in favour of substituting genuine storytelling with explosions, vehicular pursuits and scenes of graphic violence.
A freeport represents a designated zone where imported merchandise can be warehoused without incurring the standard customs duties and taxes that would normally apply once goods leave that territory. It was not information I anticipated acquiring while watching a crime-comedy-thriller-action hybrid designed to resurrect Catherine Zeta-Jones' career, though in fairness, I had anticipated learning nothing whatsoever, so the revelation qualifies as an unexpected bonus.
The tax advantages and customs exemptions available within these specially designated areas form the foundation of Jackie Price's (Zeta-Jones) thriving art dealership, which she has operated successfully for two decades. Her business model involves acquiring artworks, storing them in a warehouse facility, arranging viewings for wealthy collectors, and facilitating auctions and sales. Whether purchasers absorb the tax obligations themselves upon shipping pieces home, or whether such costs are factored into the final bid price, remains unclear. The opening episodes suggested deeper exploration of these financial mechanisms, leaving me with unresolved questions about the arrangement's actual mechanics.
The narrative's momentum accelerates rapidly. The very first scenes depict Jackie exiting a London lift and striking a security guard unconscious with a decorative glass bowl she seized from the reception area, before the timeline rewinds to Bilbao (a location that, notably, does not actually possess a freeport in reality – a testament to creative licence) two days prior. The structure loops back to fill narrative gaps, much like a customs declaration accompanying an artwork purchase.
Jackie's existence appears comfortable, yet carries an undercurrent of dissatisfaction. The satisfaction derived from exploiting tax regulations has somehow evaporated. This may account for Zeta-Jones' choice to deliver dialogue in a manner suggesting recent blunt-force trauma to the skull, though it fails to explain why this affectation persists long after genuine excitement re-enters the narrative with considerable force.
Jackie harbours secrets from her past, and those secrets are about to resurface violently. A corpse discovered in the neighbouring flat serves as the initial warning. Rather than a random killing, Jackie suspects either mistaken identity or an intentional threat, prompting her to prepare immediate departure. Before escape becomes possible, masked assailants surround her residence. However, Jackie has prepared countermeasures – paintings adorning the walls conceal hidden machinery guns that emerge and eliminate the intruders with sustained gunfire. She survives to face another confrontation.
Karenina (Sidse Babett Knudsen), the woman responsible for installing Jackie's concealed weaponry, casually discloses while dismembering corpses for disposal that she has transitioned into contract assassination and currently operates on probation with the Seven Demons, the most notorious assassin collective in existence. Her next assignment? Jackie herself. Karenina suggests Jackie depart before her shift commences at midnight. Jackie accepts this advice and recruits her somewhat unreliable assistant Charlie (Hattie Hook) and attractive legal counsel Sam (Daniel Ings) to accompany her for mutual protection, as other associates begin suffering violent deaths. The logic appears questionable – engaging the Seven Demons apparently guarantees all seven members participate, even when one already maintains a personal connection to the target and could eliminate her at any opportune moment.
The series, based on *The Price You Pay*, a novel by Nick Harkaway published under the pseudonym Aidan Truhen, unfolds as absurd spectacle that may have aspired toward the calibre of Killing Eve during its conception, before recognising that achieving such quality demands considerably more effort than anticipated. Instead, the production throws everything – particularly heavy weaponry – at the narrative structure, hoping something adheres. This includes the screenplay itself.
"Someone wants me dead, and in the worst possible way,"Jackie monotones during one of numerous tedious voiceovers that bridge the intervals between gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, ear-biting sequences, car chases and other set pieces that function as substitutes for genuine character development, coherent plotting or credible narrative progression.
"How do I warn them of the biblical horrors coming for them without being needlessly dramatic?"she questions at the conclusion of an opening episode that delivers no such apocalyptic threat. The freeport explanation, by comparison, held considerably greater appeal.
Production and release details
The eight-episode series features an ensemble cast including Daniel Ings as Sam, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Ron Perlman and Bill Paterson. The production represents a collaboration between Steel Springs Pictures and Fremantle, with AMC Global Media acquiring exclusive U.S. streaming rights.
When and where to watch
Kill Jackie premiered on Prime Video in the United Kingdom and is now available for streaming. The series will expand its availability when AMC+ launches the series in the United States on October 2, 2026, with new episodes releasing weekly following the premiere date.
