When this movie begins, logic leaves the room.
I saw this movie very recently, but I had no high expectations other than the work of McGregor and Skarsgard, two actors I consider generally solid and committed to each project in which they are involved. I greatly appreciate a good spy movie (James Bond movies were the first to arouse this interest, many years ago) and it's always pleasant to see a good suspense plot. However, the screaming flaws of this movie are so blatant that it is difficult to enjoy it without a certain bitter mouth.
I do not question the efforts of director Susanna White, I am convinced that she did what she could with the cast, crew and producers in charge. The proof is that it technically has no obvious flaws: it has good sets, some good action scenes and some dramatic loading (very few considering the theme and the kind of film) and a regular cinematography, which did not use the iconic landscapes of the places where action is taking place, but still gives us a little of these environments. The big failure is the absence of a consistent dramatic tension fortified by a good script. The audience sees the film with the interest of those who are seeing advertising on TV.
The cast also does not deserve heavy disapproval. I am sure neither Ewan McGregor nor Stellan Skarsgard will consider this a major work of their careers. However, it is undeniable they both embodied their characters well and dealt with their challenges positively. I have more doubts about Naomie Harris: In addition to having no time on scene, she has such a strongly secondary character that she almost becomes a McGregor's prop, going where he goes and doing what he asks. I've seen trained dogs less obedient than this wife, who has just been betrayed and is totally serene about it. This makes no sense, but it is the least illogical thing we will see. Damian Lewis embodied a British secret agent who begins to act on the edge between what he has to do and what he should not do, even counteracting and ignoring superior direct orders. If this is not insubordination in the ranks, I don't know what this can be.
And so we come to the heart of all the problems, that is, the script. As I have previously written in other texts, the key to a good movie invariably goes through a good script, and we lack good scripts. There are excellent ideas, great premises, but the development is so poor that it often ruins the movie. The film begins with an intriguing idea: a mobster who fears for his life and wants to save his family by cooperating with the authorities. The plot around this is horrible: How can we believe the characters make such unreasonable decisions? I don't want to go into detail, but the mere idea of trusting a stranger that was nearby by chance, as that mobster decided to do, is so stupid, so naive... it makes no sense, it's too thoughtless, and most people would never accept risking the neck to help a stranger. Regardless of this, the film presents its plot, hoping that we swallow it without thinking. With me, it didn't work.
