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The Courier

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02:20

The Courier

Name: The Courier
Director: Dominic Cooke
Genre: Crime/detective, Mystery, Drama, History, Thriller
Released: 2020
Duration: 1 h 52 min
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley, Angus Wright

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Crime/detective
Mystery

2020
Dominic Cooke
112 mins
12A

Summary

Thriller based on a true story, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze. In the years leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis, British businessman Greville Wynne is recruited by MI6 to liaise with Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky, whose fears about Cold War nuclear escalation compel him to become a mole.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Emma Simmonds

A fascinating true story is brought competently to the screen in the sophomore feature from acclaimed theatre director Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach). Set during the Cold War and beginning in 1960, it's a stylish if underwhelming take on the astonishing endeavours of British spy Greville Wynne, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch as an initially smarmy and out-of-his-depth salesman. Believing him unimportant enough to go under the radar, MI6 and the CIA recruit Wynne to make contact with high-ranking Soviet informant Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), who delivers vital information relating to his state's nuclear programme as the Cuban Missile Crisis looms. Meanwhile, Wynne's secretive behaviour rings alarm bells with his wife Sheila (Jessie Buckley). The story of Penkovsky, a family man who risks it all, feels more interesting, yet for the most part he's pushed to the periphery. Suffering from a dependence on montages and a lack of detail, The Courier feels like it's only scratching the surface of the meaty material and, save for its overwrought conclusion, it doesn't pack the emotional punch it should. But it's pacey, sporadically tense and extremely well-acted by Ninidze and Cumberbatch, with the latter conveying the insecurity, anxiety and eventual audacity of his reluctant hero.

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7.2/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameGreville WynneBenedict CumberbatchOleg PenkovskyMerab NinidzeEmily DonovanRachel BrosnahanSheila WynneJessie BuckleyDickie FranksAngus WrightGribanovKirill PirogovAndrew WynneKeir HillsVeraMaria Mironova