The overall style is gritty realism. The series is particularly grim (though laced with black humour), depicting the high emotional toll taken on espionage professionals who operate in a world of moral ambiguity. "The Sandbaggers" aimed to invert most of the accepted conventions of the spy thriller genre. In direct contrast to the "girls, guns, and gadgets" motif established by the James Bond movies, "The Sandbaggers" features ordinary people in extraordinary jobs of work. In keeping with the focus on realism, there are very few action sequences and the equipment available to the operatives are standard vehicles and regular issue tools.