What’s It About
When his wife is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test — loyalty to his marriage or his country.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Two famous actors play a married spy couple in this new thriller that never quite delivers on its promise. The movie follows George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), high-ranking intelligence officers who invite four younger spies to their fancy London apartment for dinner. The film opens with a long shot following George as we learn about a potential threat. Unlike action-packed spy movies, this one focuses on conversations and relationships. The real tension starts when George must investigate his own wife, who might be working against their country. The director shows his skill in several scenes, especially at the dinner party where six characters interact. The conversation he captures is artfully shot with a wide-angle lens to slowly zoom in as the tension builds up. This does not work out in some scenes, thus missing an opportunity. The most interesting one is that of married spies. She doesn’t seem to have passionate feelings for him, but she has a kind of natural bond that suggests she would have done anything for him. So, that question becomes all the more exciting to ponder: would loyalty to one’s country come before loyalty to one’s spouse? Unfortunately, the movie never really goes into detail regarding this fascinating theme. The idea of the husband secretly investigating his wife has all the right makings of good drama, but the film only grazes the surface of these feelings. While they’re eating, George suggests a dinner party where each person will give advice to the person sitting next to them. The light teasing of their conversation starts as lighthearted, turning serious and eventually violent. The potential is set high, so you can’t help but want to see what happens next, but the movie never really does it. The script reveals too much too soon about Kathryn’s loyalty, answering important questions before George faces truly difficult choices. The second half raises the stakes slightly as trust between husband and wife crumbles, but overall, the film feels low-energy when it should be gripping. Instead of showing us the story, the movie often just tells us what’s happening. The best scenes are when George actively watches Kathryn, and most scenes with the supporting cast work well. But when the walls should be closing in, and the movie should have us on the edge of our seats, it only loosely holds our attention. The ending provides some effective twists, but the journey to get there isn’t remarkable. Despite having two extremely talented leads, neither actor is pushed far enough dramatically. They maintain cold exteriors throughout, and their performances, while solid, aren’t memorable. The supporting cast does fine work, but some talented actors feel wasted in small roles. The film struggles with pacing issues and spends too much time on minor details while major plot points are rushed. By the time we reach the conclusion of this relatively short movie, it feels like nothing significant has happened despite all the plot complications. The movie’s style does channel classic spy films from the 1960s, which adds a cool factor that might make you more forgiving of its flaws. If you approach it as a dark comedy about bureaucracy, you might enjoy it more. Lack of any dramatic tension usually reveals the recent, rather rushed feel of the director’s work. On the whole, this is a watchable, but not particularly memorable or impressive, spy thriller. Though the two leads have some chemistry and some directing choices occasionally work, the film never settles into the gripping drama it so obviously was trying to be.
OUR RATING – A RUSSIAN RULED 3