The Courier movie review: Benedict Cumberbatch war drama espouses comradeship in an artfully made period film

A world divided between two superpowers; the Cold War is at its peak in the 1960s; as the camera zooms in on men walking down a deserted alley (one Russian and the other British) we hear them discussing a ploy that could possibly avert nuclear eradication of people. Benedict Cumberbatch’s new espionage thriller The Courier follows the real-life events of Greville Wyne, a British salesman who became a key player in the then-ongoing war with stakes at the zenith. Cumberbatch ably shoulders Wyne’s persona and seems comfortable with its weight through most of the film. The actor builds upon the character of a fairly jaunty, affable tradesman wanting to work hard and prove his worth. Adequately ambitious, Wyne was all about the business profits that his associations got him. So, it’s no surprise that he was nonplussed when asked to act as messenger of classified information between two nations vying to obliterate the other. [caption id=“attachment_9863881” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Benedict Cumberbatch in a still from The Courier.[/caption] But Wyne was no spy, but that’s where his USP lay. He was above suspicion. His job entailed travelling to Moscow and continuing with his client meetings as usual, but exchange intel with Soviet official and World War II hero named Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) on the down-low. Thus began the fascinating journey of these two men, who worked selflessly to save their respective nations. Ninidze is in superb control of his craft in the period drama. He executes a silent reserve that demands immediate respect for a high-ranking official of a then-formidable Russian army. Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Wyne as the often witty, light-hearted money-maker serves as a rich contrast to Ninidze’s reticence. But where The Courier earns the gravitas required for war dramas, is in the portrayal of the genuine friendship that develops between these two unlikely brothers. They share pleasantries with families; discuss their vulnerable situations, at the brink of possible annihilation; yet they always come to the consensus that love trumps hatred and that there is a way out of this. [caption id=“attachment_9863901” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from The Courier[/caption] The production design of the film has a lot going on. The makers take on the bleak yet beautiful settings of Prague and translate that into the harsh ethos of Russian architecture. Tall behemoths in form of government buildings in Moscow are promptly complemented by the neon hues of American nightlife and Broadway theatre setups. Especially towards the end of the film, the setting takes on a more ominous turn and imbues meaning within the mounting gloom of the climax. The Courier oddly speaks more through Penkovsky’s eyes and voice than Wyne’s. The army chief undergoes a complete disenfranchisement through the film’s course; from a person of high regard to an anti-national. And amidst this crippling anxiety, it’s Wyne’s almost-dogged persistence that provides Penkovsky with a dying chance for a normal life. [caption id=“attachment_9863891” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from The Courier[/caption] To accommodate the complexity of emotions that the Russian general undergoes within the 2-hour runtime of the film is not an easy feat. Battling between the love for his country and family, Penkovsky struggles to make a restful choice. If that was not enough, growing suspicion among his own people painted a huge target on his back, with fear of an impending death looming large. Ninidze accurately taps on the emotions to bring about a heartfelt subplot featuring his own story. The Courier is everything that war dramas have forgotten to be. If only the scriptwriters could hold on to the same level of intrigue till the very last. The film chooses to end abruptly and leaves a lot wanting thereby. But we’re not complaining, not with Ninidze’s innocent eyes and Cumberbatch’s charming smile. The Courier streams on Amazon Prime Video. Rating: ***1/2 (All images from Twitter)