The Courier

 3.5/4

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan, Angus Wright, Jessie Buckley, Zeljko Ivanek

Rated PG-13 for Violence, Partial Nudity, Brief Strong Language, and Smoking Throughout

These days, spy thrillers have become synonymous with James Bond and Jason Bourne: outrageous action, cool gadgets and the fight against world domination or something.  And as much as I love James Bond (I can't say the same about Jason Bourne, though), the real spy stuff is much more interesting.  "The Courier," which is based on a true story, is a true blue spy story; it's a high stakes labyrinth of secrets and deception.

Oleg Penkovsky (Ninidze), a military intelligence colonel for the Soviet Union, has just sent a message to the US Embassy offering his services as a spy.  In exchange, he wants an out for himself and his family.  Because he is such a high ranking individual, CIA agent Emily Donovan (Brosnahan) believes that the usual methods of espionage will only serve to get him caught.  Instead, she suggests an innocent to avoid suspicion.  They select Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch), a mild-mannered businessman who knows nothing of the spy world and has experience doing business in communist nations.

What's interesting about "The Courier" is that its protagonist is in no way qualified for such an assignment.  He's mild-mannered, fluffy and just plain scared.  Everyone he interacts with is more adept at the spy game than he is.  But he soon learns that the most important rule of the being a spy is to "act natural."  His job is to do exactly what he always does.  This begs the question of whether or not he might make a betters spy had he been kept completely in the dark, but never mind.  He's there to do a job and intends to do so to the best of his ability.

Anyone expecting something high octane or even especially energetic is going to be disappointed.  This isn't a thriller in the strictest sense.  There are no gunfights or shocking twists and turns.  It's not that kind of movie.  Rather, it's an autopsy of an act of espionage.  We learn the inner details of what went down and why.  It's all rather mundane, but that only makes it more real.  The risks for Greville and Oleg (who prefers to be called "Alex") are so high that the film generates constant tension.  Once it gets going, there's no time to relax.

For too long, Benedict Cumberbatch has been typecast as Sherlock Holmes: the brash, intelligent but arrogant asshole.  Here, he gets to play something completely new and reminds us once again just how good he is.  Greville is in way over his head and knows it, but he learns enough to fool those who are smart enough to be suspicious of everyone but not smart enough to be suspicious of him.  Rachel Brosnahan is adequate as the tough-as-nails CIA agent, but she lacks the gravitas and the edge to really nail to role.  The best performances come from the character actors.  Merab Ninidze is so good that he outacts his more famous co-star.  He plays Oleg as someone who is fully aware of the choice he is making (and its probable consequences) but also knows that not doing so would be infinitely worse.  His facial acting generates a great amount of empathy and pathos.  Jessie Buckley is also worth mentioning as Greville's wife Sheila, Greville's wife.  He cheated on her before and she forgave him, but his mysterious trips to the USSR (plus his other behavior such as working out and a ravishing libido) have aroused her suspicions.  What makes it doubly tragic is that Greville can't come clean even though he desperately wants to.  It could be an unsung part, but Buckley can break your heart without effort.

If there's anything truly wrong with this film, it's that director Domininc Cooke's work behind the camera is pedestrian.  It's solid enough to generate a lot of tension, but there's no extra "oomph" to really push it into greatness.  There is a sense that it can go deeper and be more gripping, but Cooke simply isn't able to get it there.  It makes the scenes when it descends into drama feel flat as opposed to powerful like they are supposed to be.

Still, it's a small complaint.  Most people won't really notice or care about Cooke's lack of extraordinary skill.  And why should they?  The suspense is real enough, and that's what audiences want in a movie like this.  Throw in some solid acting and an unpredictable story, and you've got one of the best film's of the year.

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