timgowen.com

It’s a simple premise, and it’s not really a part of Cold War movies or even spy movies: Learning that we are fundamentally the same in spite of political difference is the take that’s most compelling in Dominic Cooke’s enjoyable espionage drama. British businessman Greville Wynne ( Benedict Cumberbatch —on fine form) was recruited in 1960 by the British Intelligence Services to make contact with Oleg Pentovsky ( Merab Ninidze ), who as we’ve seen is doubting the sanity of Khrushchev and thinking about ways to avert nuclear war—even as he sees how traitors are dealt with. The movie is at its best when Pentovsky and Wynne are together. They seem to match each other from their separate world-views and it’s not long before Wynne is questioning the ruthless amorality of MI6, with Angus Wright playing spy-handler Dickie Francis with joyful stiff-upper lip. His CIA aide ( Rachel Brosnahan ) is more passionate and possibly has the most conventional cinematic moments: in one scene she expl...

Sam Mendes ’ grandfather’s stories of World War One have resulted in the film-maker dramatising an incident where two soldiers must travel to deliver a message to call off an offensive, which is a trap, in order to save thousands of lives. The film is notable for being a single shot: the camera stays on the protagonists for the entire running time: no cut-aways, no flashbacks, nothing to distract from the people. The premise sounds similar to Saving Private Ryan , with the War being the horrific backdrop to a personal story. If you’ve been to Ypres and the Menin Gate, or Arras or Vimy Ridge… any ground that was conceded or won in the ‘Great War’ you’ll understand the scale of devastation which is witnessed in part by Lance Corporal Blake ( Dean-Charles Chapman ) and Schofield ( George MacKay ). The single shot editing style quickly proves not to be a gimmick at all as the scene moves from almost beautifully peaceful countryside to trenches and explosions. Death surrounds every...