The Courier

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.