The Courier movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: THE COURIER

Available only in theaters NOW but will be on digital streaming soon (no date announced yet).

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 52 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

This fascinating film is based on a shocking, true story that occurred during the Cold War in the 1960s. The drama that depicts events leading up to the dangerous Cuban Missile Crisis was written by Tom O’Connor and directed by Dominic Cooke. It’s a spy thriller in every sense.

As an American, I never thought about how Great Britain might be involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was famously known as a Russian-American conflict, so I had no idea how this true story might end for an EveryMan British salesman who became intimately involved in this precarious historical event. If you’re British, is the name Greville Wynne famous in your country? Comment down below!

THINGS I LIKED:

As expected, Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic and he undergoes an impressive physical transformation. The film was actually released in theaters on Greville Wynne’s birthday, March 19 (1919). He died in 1990. The young Keir Hills actually looked like he could be Benedict Cumberbatch’s son.
I became an instant fan of Rachel Brosnahan when I first saw her in her award-winning role in THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL Season 1 Recap
The first time I saw Jesse Buckley was in the movie Wild Rose. You can see my review of Wild Rose by clicking here. She continues to pump out great performances in film and on TV shows. Her character could have been just a housewife, but she adds some depth to her role.
Merab Ninidze also gives an excellent performance as Oleg Penkovsky.
The color palette looks very 1960s.
I love secret compartments in desks.
You get to see old video footage of the real Greville Wynne at the end of the movie.
You can actually see the name of Dimitriy Arkadyevich Popov in Tom Clancy’s book Patriot Games (A Jack Ryan Novel), a Jack Ryan novel that was turned into one of my husband’s all-time favorite movies called Patriot Games. You can get a free trial when you Try Audible Plus to listen to the story.
I thought the movie was going in one direction based on a few comical moments in Act 1, but there is a twist that caught me off guard and left me unprepared for Acts 2 & 3. Act 1 makes you feel like you’re watching a movie, but Acts 2 & 3 are completely immersive.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Act 1 moves a little bit slowly as each of the characters is introduced. Things move much faster in Acts 2 & 3.
It was a little unclear whether or not one of the characters actually had an affair. Hint: in real life, he did.
Wigs. Terrible wigs.
The script is bare bones with no fluff. It actually might have benefitted from a little.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Russian is spoken with subtitles
Kids will be bored with all of the politics
Someone gets murdered with a bloody headshot
You see a married couple in bed together after a “tumble”
There are a lot of political acronyms like CIA, GRU, MI6.
You see a naked man covering his private parts with his hands. Later, you see the full naked backside of a man.