And once the story takes a genuinely dark and stark turn, the risks that both Wynne and Penkovsky took become that much more compelling, and affecting. What’s more, Cumberbatch and Ninidze find genuine chemistry with one another, so much so that it’s a drag whenever each character darts off back home to make meaningless small talk with their families (including Jessie Buckley on the British side). Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions But there is a distinct pleasure in watching Cooke and screenwriter Tom O’Connor know exactly how a genre works, and then refuse to fix it.
Well-read audiences, the kind who will pick up any dog-eared copy of John le Carré (or the many le Carré-lite imitators) from the ground, already know the narrative beats: hushed conversations, slow walks down dark streets, indifferent British poohbahs, brutal Soviet higher-ups, etc. Telling a little-known slice of history, The Courier focuses on the relationship between British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Soviet intelligence official Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), who together helped end the Cuban Missile Crisis, even though Wynne is more comfortable downing drinks than deciphering code. Which is fine: So long as you’re not expecting subversion or surprise, you can gently sink yourself into director Dominic Cooke’s intentionally, pleasantly lukewarm waters and come out the other side refreshed and squeaky-clean. Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside AttractionsĪnyway, trust me: There are immense, leisurely pleasures to be found in The Courier, which presents a spy-versus-spy drama in a familiar way. Merab Ninidze, left, plays the role of a Soviet intelligence official and Benedict Cumberbatch as a British businessman in The Courier.
0 kommentar(er)
