The Courier

I'm fascinated by the claim that jobs like TV host or PR manager are mentally demanding. Try being Oleg Penkovsky. Whether his motives were faith in the ideals of freedom and democracy or a desire to take revenge on the Soviet communist regime, he helped the Americans during the Cuban Missile Crisis by revealing that Khrushchev wasn't holding a full house but only two pairs, and he supposedly met an end that would disgust even Mr. Kopfrkingl. But the problem is that Dominic Cooke's film isn't primarily about him, but about his British contact recruited from the business circles. When the cages fall, there's no buildup, and Cumberbatch, turning into something between Bale's mechanic and a cave troll from Moria, can't do anything. The similarly themed Jack Strong felt livelier and handled tension much better. (10/31/2022)

I have to give it to the filmmakers that they managed to capture the atmosphere of the time perfectly. Then I was literally flabbergasted by Benedict Cumberbatch's unprecedented physical transformation in order to portray the role as convincingly as possible. My only regret is that Cooke's movie lacks any kind of build-up and drama, everything kind of fizzles out. (65%) (11/27/2022)

The Cold War is reaching its peak, and British businessman Benedict Cumberbatch is given the chance to prevent disaster. He is to become a liaison between the Western secret services and the Soviets, who are willing to share their country's biggest secrets. How long will they get away with it? The Courier is a very good-looking period piece with excellent actors, but unfortunately without strong emotions or significant tension. Professionally done, but ultimately a bit dull and unnecessarily conservative. (05/02/2021)