Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic (2000); Erin Brockovich (2000); Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989); Behind the Candelabra (2013)) and starring Michael Fassbender (Ateve Jobs (2015); Prometheus (2012); X-Men: First Class (2011); Kneecap (2024)), Gustaf Skarsgård (Oppenheimer (2023); The Emigrants (2021); Vikings (tv series, 2013-20)), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine (2013); The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); Tár (2022)), Tom Burke (Mank (2020); The Souvenir (2019); Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024); Strike (tv series, 2017-24)), Marisa Abela (Rogue Agent (2022); Cobra (tv series, 2020); Back to Black (2024)), Regé-Jean Page (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023); The Gray Man (2022); Bridgerton (tv series, 2020)), Naomie Harris (Skyfall (2012); Moonlight (2016); 28 Days Later (2002)) and Pierce Brosnan (The Thomas Crown Affair (1999); Mamma Mia! (2008); Tomorrow Never Dies (1997); The Last Rifleman (2023)).
Psychological drama; 94 mins: 12+
An American production set in London, where Arthur Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan) heads up the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC); however we don't get to meet him until well into the second half of this well-balanced psychological drama which focuses on the dialogue and acting performances, rather than action seen in a classic spy story: what is the same though, is the premise, i.e. trying to identify and root out a spy in the midst of their team...
The film opens with Philip Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgård) warning top British intelligence officer George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) of a spy in the team which includes Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke), surveillance expert Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), Col. James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris) and also his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett).
He invites the team to a dinner party, in which his straight-laced but highly intillegent character does the cooking. The invitation arouses suspicion as the others meet for a drink beforehand, and he plays a game to see who could be lying... When Kathryn then goes on a trip to Zurich, suspicion falls on her, so he asks Clarissa to use a three-minute window of satellite surveillance to observe what expects to be a clandestine meeting...
Apart from mainly indoor scenes, a remote lake and boatshed also feature in some scenes, where George Woodhouse takes out a boat with a small outboard engine to get some solitude and do a spot of fishing...
Like a game of chess or cat-and-mouse, in which George Woodhouse is trying to identify and out the mole / traitor, and the latter is trying to maintain their cover and not let their guard slip, there is not much action, rather intellectual mind games and dialogue that keeps the audience on the edges of their seats. But then, what seems like the most obvious solution to fitting together the pieces of the puzzle all falls apart as they realise that they have been set up to play roles in the game; but who will be the ultimate winner?
Currently screening in Luxembourg at Kinepolis.
