Movie: The Courier (M)
Stars: 4
Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens
'Well, that was all a bit grim,' said Jay as we left the cinema after seeing The Courier.
I didn't find it that grim. more thought provoking, rather saddening and a very good rendering of the early sixties, which made me like the film a lot. I'm a bit of a sucker for an English film - more of a sucker for the period. That it's based on a true story is the sad thing.
The film is based in the early sixties at the height of the Cold War. Khruschev is ramping up his nuclear arsenal, and deep within his cabinet one of his Generals, Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) wants the madness to end , sending a message to the Americans through it's embassy.
A few months later, on this advice, Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) a businessman with links to Eastern Europe is approached by MI6 and the CIA to act as a courier, helping them to get access to Penkovsky, in his role as Trade Envoy. At first reluctant, Wynne appears to be the perfect courier having a valid reason to be in Cold War Russia and with a timeless English gormlessness which puts him above suspicion.
At home, his wive Sheila (Jessie Buckley) is blissfully unaware of her husband's spying, rather, thinking he's having yet another affair.
Wynne's handlers, CIA agent Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) and her MI6 counterpairt, Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) are at odds on whehter to let Wynne continue on his missions.
The crux of the film is the friendship which blossoms between Wynne and Penkovsky as they ship secrets out of the USSR and then try, in vain, to get Penkovsky and his family out of Russia, with disastrous results.
There's so much to like about this film. It's got a tight script. The acting is great - Benedict Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze are excellent as the courier and the contact. The development of their friendship really makes the film. Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvellous Mrs Maisel fame) is great as Emily, the CIA operative who coaxes Wynne into the job. Jessie Buckley is also great as Wynne's long suffering wife.
The thing I liked most about the film is the attention to detail around he setting, the early sixties portrayed wth aplomb.
As a thriller, this also works well as the cards keep falling and the stakes keep getting higher. Will they get caught? Will Penkovsky be able to defect? What will happen if they get caught. Being based on a true story you can get the basics here.
This is a good film. It keeps you on your toes. It's what I call a 'take your father film' as there's a lot here to keep men (and women) interested from the opening credits.
It just makes me happy that there are people like this out there who have a sense of right and will pay some very high prices to keep the world safe.
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