FILM NIGHT –
The Courier – 17th November 2021

2020 Drama – 112mins, Cert 12A

Director: Dominic Cooke

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch,
Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley

Released in August 2021, a real-life spy thriller tale of 60’s Soviet espionage. British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) is unwittingly recruited into one of the greatest international conflicts in history. Forming an unlikely partnership with Soviet officer Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) the two men work together to try to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.

THE COURIER is the true-life story of an unassuming British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) recruited at the height of the Cold War. At the request of MI6 and a CIA operative, he forms a covert, dangerous partnership with Soviet officer Oleg Penkovsky in an effort to provide crucial intelligence needed to prevent a nuclear confrontation and defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Film-maker Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach) directs, and credit should be given to screenwriter Tom O’Connor for helping create an old school espionage thriller that wouldn’t look amiss alongside such greats as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

Benedict Cumberbatch delivers possibly the definitive portrayal of the reluctant spy, a man initially out of his depth who eventually grows into the role, putting his life and marriage on the line in the process.
Georgian actor, Merab Ninidze, is impressive as Pentovsky too. His portrayal brings out the real man’s humanity, shunning the stereotypical depiction of Soviet officials as cold fish with blinkered vision.

Make sure you stay tuned until the closing credits for archive footage of Wynne following his release; it really brings home the physical impact his ordeal had on him.

Rotten Tomatoes give this film an 86% positive rating. Come and see what you think!!

Click here to read about The Courier on IMDb
Click here to download the flyer in pdf format