The Courier is based on the true story of an ordinary businessman named Greville Wynne who was asked by the CIA and MI6 to deliver some materials being leaked to the west by a high-ranking Soviet official.
The movie is pretty close to the real story, with one big exception making the CIA representative be a woman, played by Rachel Brosnahan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” It is doubly hard to figure out what really happened, first because so much of the story is still classified and second because Wynne wrote two books about his experiences which were, well, inaccurate to the point of fantasy.
Rated PG-13 for violence, partial nudity, brief strong language, and smoking throughout.
Profanity:
Brief strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:
Drinking and alcoholism, smoking
Violence/ Scariness:
Peril and some violence, murder, torture
Diversity Issues:
None
Date Released to Theaters:
March 19, 2021
Copyright Lionsgate 2020“Maybe we’re only two people. But this is how things change.” In this tense, engrossing, Cold War spy drama, based on a true story, things change because of two people. The set-up is like something out of Hitchcock, an ordinary man thrust into a geopolitical heist saga with fate-of-the-world stakes. But it happened.
Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) is one of the highest-ranking Soviet officials, a multiply-decorated WWII veteran, with access to the most sensitive secrets of the Soviet military and a growing uneasiness with the volatile, aggressive leadership of Nikita Khrushchev. Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a smooth-talking British salesman, in every way an ordinary citizen, with no background or interest in espionage. But what he does have is a relatively unsuspicious reason for an Englishman to visit Moscow. Representatives from the CIA (Rachel Brosnahan as Emily Donovan) and MI6 ask Wynne to try to set up some sales meetings in Moscow as cover for bringing back files from Penovsky. “Nothing dodgy, nothing illegal,” they assure him. Not true. “We want you to act like the ordinary businessman you are…If this mission were the least bit dangerous, frankly you’re the last man we’d send.” Also not true. They do warn him that everyone he meets will be spying on him, even some who may be too far to hear what he is saying but who can see him well enough to read lips.
He agrees. Maybe he is patriotic. Maybe he is looking for something more exciting than missing an easy putt to accommodate potential customers. But his business is a good cover. “No matter what the politicians are doing, factories still need machines and machines still need parts.” Penkovsky tells Wynne that there is one important question for anyone wanting to do business in the Soviet Union. “Can you hold your alcohol?” Wynne smiles and we see why he is a good salesman. “It’s my one true gift.”
The Soviets do not intend to do business. They hope to learn enough about British products from Wynne to copy them. And MI6 gives him some hard to get but not classified information to leak to them to bolster his credibility.
“You’re — I think the word is — amateur,” Penkovsky says. But the two men form a kind of friendship. They are both devoted fathers, each with just one child. And they realize that the future for those children may depend on what they are doing.
The script is smart but it is also wise, balancing intimate personal details with the tension of tradecraft. We see the strains on Wynne’s marriage from keeping the secrets, with Jessie Buckley excellent as his wife, especially their meeting after things go badly. Wynne’s last meeting with Penkovsky is heart-rending. Cumberbatch, who also co-produced, gives one of his best performances, as we see Wynne go from almost looking at what he is doing as a bit of a lark to having to call on unimaginable stores of courage and integrity.
Parents should know that this movie includes tension, peril, and some violence, including a man executed in front of his colleagues and torture of prisoners. There is some brief strong language and non-sexual nudity.
Family discussion: Would you accept a mission like Wynne’s? What was his biggest challenge? Who was right about how he should be treated by the British government?
If you like this, try: “Bridge of Spies” and “13 Days”
Back with Arch and Jen and Loo on the At the Movies Podcast
Posted on March 18, 2021 at 2:43 pm
It is always fun to talk to Arch Campbell and Jen Chaney on their At the Movies podcast. In this very special 80th episode, we talked about the Oscars and the problems at the Golden Globes, about the Grammy show and new releases “The Father” and “The Courier.” Hope to be back on again soon.
“I let out a little yelp when I saw the nominees,” said Nell Minow, a film critic and corporate governance expert, pointing to strong showings by low-key, thoughtful dramas such as Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari” and Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland.”
“We’re seeing a lot more diversity partly because the normative, white male blockbusters had to step aside last year,” Minow said, referring to the various movies that were postponed amid the pandemic.
“Greyhound,” Odin Benitez, Jason King, Christian P. Minkler, Michael Minkler, Jeff Sawyer
“Mank,” Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance, Drew Kunin
“News of the World,” John Pritchett, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, Oliver Tarney, Michael Fentum
“Soul,” Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Vince Caro
“Sound of Metal,” Phillip Bladh, Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, Carolina Santana
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Nina Pedrad, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Swimer
“The Father,” Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller
“Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao
“One Night in Miami,” Kemp Powers
“The White Tiger,” Ramin Bahrani
Copyright Amazon 2020
Best Original Screenplay
“Judas and the Black Messiah,” Will Berson, Shaka King, Keith Lucas, Kenneth Lucas
“Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung
“Promising Young Woman,” Emerald Fennell
“Sound of Metal,” Abraham Marder, Darius Marder, Derek Cianfrance
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Aaron Sorkin
Best Actor
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Steven Yeun (“Minari”)
Copyright 2020 Searchlight
Best Actress
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Andra Day (“The United States v. Billie Holiday”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)
Best Animated Feature Film
“Onward” (Pixar)
“Over the Moon” (Netflix)
“Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” (Netflix)
Copyright Pixar 2020
“Soul” (Pixar)
“Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS)
Best Cinematography
“Judas and the Black Messiah,” Sean Bobbitt
“Mank,” Erik Messerschmidt
“News of the World,” Dariusz Wolski
“Nomadland,” Joshua James Richards
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Phedon Papamichael
Best Director
Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”)
David Fincher (“Mank”)
Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”)
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)
Best Documentary Feature
“Collective” (Magnolia Pictures and Participant)
“Crip Camp” (Netflix)
“The Mole Agent” (Gravitas Ventures)
“My Octopus Teacher” (Netflix)
“Time” (Amazon Studios)
Best Documentary Short Subject
“Colette” (Time Travel Unlimited)
“A Concerto Is a Conversation” (Breakwater Studios)
“Do Not Split” (Field of Vision)
“Hunger Ward” (MTV Documentary Films)
“A Love Song for Latasha” (Netflix)
Best Film Editing
“The Father,” Yorgos Lamprinos
“Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao
“Promising Young Woman,” Frédéric Thoraval
“Sound of Metal,” Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Alan Baumgarten
Best International Feature Film
“Another Round” (Denmark)
“Better Days” (Hong Kong)
“Collective” (Romania)
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” (Tunisia)
“Quo Vadis, Aida?”(Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Emma,” Marese Langan
“Hillbilly Elegy,” Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney, Matthew Mungle
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” MatikiAnoff, Mia Neal, Larry M. Cherry
“Mank,” Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams
“Pinocchio,” Dalia Colli, Anna Kieber, Sebastian Lochmann, Stephen Murphy
Best Original Song
“Fight for You,” (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
“Hear My Voice,” (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
“Húsavík,” (“Eurovision Song Contest”)
“Io Si (Seen),” (“The Life Ahead”)
“Speak Now,” (“One Night in Miami”)
Best Picture
“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.)
“Mank” (Netflix)
“Minari” (A24)
“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
“Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Copyright 2020 Sony Pictures Classics
Best Production Design
“The Father,” Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara, Diana Stoughton
“Mank,” Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale
“News of the World,” David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan
“Tenet,” Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas
Best Visual Effects
“Love and Monsters”
“The Midnight Sky,” Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Dave Watkins, Max Solomon
“Mulan,” Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, Steve Ingram
“The One and Only Ivan,” Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones, Santiago Colomo Martinez
“Tenet,”Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley, Scott R. Fisher, Mike Chambers
Best Costume Design
