Rating: B
Our Kind of Traitor is the latest in spy-thriller-novel conversions by British author John Le Carre, and delivers generously in suspense, espionage, and drama. While the film is no doubt a good watch, it falters in equalling the critically acclaimed British miniseries The Night Manager adapted by the same author.
The movie follows lead couple Perry and Gail (Ewen McGregor and Naomi Harris) they manage to entangle themselves with the enigmatic and dangerous Dima (played the superb Stellan Skarsgard), a man high up in the Russian Mafia, during their holiday in Morocco. The two men bond and Dima convinces Perry to turn over sensitive information to MI6, and the stakes increase as the film’s plot develops from there. In simple terms, we have two British civilians who find themselves involved at the heart of the Russian Mafia, and as chaos ensues, larger questions arise over honour, loyalty and corruption.
Despite boasting a high quality cast, and with the use of Le Carre’s now famed literary espionage material, the film lacks punch. McGregor and Harris do fine jobs as the couple who find themselves in well over their heads, but could be accused of hogging screen time from the two genuine stars of the movie. Skarsgard is great as Dima, and before long you’re rooting for a guy who (probably) has murdered a number of people in cold blood. Alongside him, Damian Lewis plays Hector Meredith (the cynical British secret service operative) who is an equally enthralling and complex character. The drawback here is that we don’t see these two enough, and the overall effect is that Our Kind of Traitor winds up feeling a very patchy and a little flat.
As a fan of The Night Manager and Le Carre’s writing in general, I had extremely high hopes for this latest instalment. Perhaps without those lofty expectations, I would have analysed less and enjoyed this