OUR KIND OF TRAITOR
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British novelist John le Carré has long been a great source for gripping feature thrillers. Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and The Constant Gardner not only rate as two of the best spy stories you’ll ever read, but among two of the best films ever made.
British novelist John le Carré has long been a great source for gripping feature thrillers. Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and The Constant Gardner not only rate as two of the best spy stories you’ll ever read, but among two of the best films ever made.
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Thus Our Kind Of Traitor comes with a certain expectation, not only for its pedigree but its leads; Ewan McGregor (Son Of A Gun) and Stellan Skarsgård (Nymphomaniac).
The latter is Dima, a Russian mobster who latches on to the former while on holiday in Marrakech. The former, Perry, is there with his wife Gail (Naomie Harris - Skyfall) in the hope they can repair their damaged relationship, though Dima’s intervention isn’t going to help. He’s the bullying type who won’t take no for an answer, and the question of why he strikes up a friendship with Perry is soon answered: defection. Dima carries secrets he plans trading for security in the knowledge that his days with the mafia are numbered.
So begins le Carré’s favourite game of cat-and-mouse as the UK government gets involved under the guidance of poorly funded spy master Hector (Damian Lewis - Homeland). He’s harbouring a grudge which has the potential to turn the story on its head, and the British government with it. Under Susanna White’s glossy direction (she’s best known for Nanny McPhee) there’s a lot to enjoy about Our Kind Of Traitor. Foremost is Skarsgård’s brooding presence: he makes the double-crossing thug and family man quite likeable, if you can forget his violent past and criminal associations. Strangely, you do. McGregor is his always charismatic self and mostly convinces as an ordinary man rising to extraordinary circumstances.
The weakness rests in a workmanlike script from Oscar nominated Hossein Amini (Wings of the Dove) who doesn’t always pull us across narrative lapses or the story’s more audacious leaps. Le Carré’s strident convictions are left to hang conspicuously in the breeze and White doesn’t find a way to pull them, the script or her cast back in to line. It robs the film of true grit as it slides into 1970’s Alistair MacLean territory. That said, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise entertaining, if familiar, tour around the Capitalism+Conservatives=Corruption block. Yes we’ve been here before, but it’s always good to be reminded why we’re still here, and the need for constant vigilance against those twin forces of evil.
// COLIN FRASER
Previewed at Event Cinemas, George St, Sydney on 11 July 2016.
The latter is Dima, a Russian mobster who latches on to the former while on holiday in Marrakech. The former, Perry, is there with his wife Gail (Naomie Harris - Skyfall) in the hope they can repair their damaged relationship, though Dima’s intervention isn’t going to help. He’s the bullying type who won’t take no for an answer, and the question of why he strikes up a friendship with Perry is soon answered: defection. Dima carries secrets he plans trading for security in the knowledge that his days with the mafia are numbered.
So begins le Carré’s favourite game of cat-and-mouse as the UK government gets involved under the guidance of poorly funded spy master Hector (Damian Lewis - Homeland). He’s harbouring a grudge which has the potential to turn the story on its head, and the British government with it. Under Susanna White’s glossy direction (she’s best known for Nanny McPhee) there’s a lot to enjoy about Our Kind Of Traitor. Foremost is Skarsgård’s brooding presence: he makes the double-crossing thug and family man quite likeable, if you can forget his violent past and criminal associations. Strangely, you do. McGregor is his always charismatic self and mostly convinces as an ordinary man rising to extraordinary circumstances.
The weakness rests in a workmanlike script from Oscar nominated Hossein Amini (Wings of the Dove) who doesn’t always pull us across narrative lapses or the story’s more audacious leaps. Le Carré’s strident convictions are left to hang conspicuously in the breeze and White doesn’t find a way to pull them, the script or her cast back in to line. It robs the film of true grit as it slides into 1970’s Alistair MacLean territory. That said, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise entertaining, if familiar, tour around the Capitalism+Conservatives=Corruption block. Yes we’ve been here before, but it’s always good to be reminded why we’re still here, and the need for constant vigilance against those twin forces of evil.
// COLIN FRASER
Previewed at Event Cinemas, George St, Sydney on 11 July 2016.
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STARRING
Stellan Skarsgård
Ewan McGregor
Naomie Harris
Damian Lewis
DIRECTOR
Susanna White
WRITER
Hossein Amini
COUNTRY
UK / France
CLASSIFICATION
MA15+
RUNTIME
110 minutes
AUSTRALIAN
RELEASE DATE
July 14, 2016
Stellan Skarsgård
Ewan McGregor
Naomie Harris
Damian Lewis
DIRECTOR
Susanna White
WRITER
Hossein Amini
COUNTRY
UK / France
CLASSIFICATION
MA15+
RUNTIME
110 minutes
AUSTRALIAN
RELEASE DATE
July 14, 2016
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