It's not a secret that I have a weakness for anything concerning British films. I love the way they're done, the way they talk over there and that unmistakable overall feeling that you get while enjoying them. I had really high hopes for this one, especially with the awesome cast it came with.
What I hoped to see was some sort of an intel-secret-service-MI6 thriller which would fill me with suspense and have me grabbing the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, what I received was a pitiful drama centered around Bill Nighy's character's tough and unforgiving life. It provided very little focus on the actual secretive thrilleresque surrounding it was based on. And that's a damn shame given the fact that it had Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Ewen fucking Bremner!
How it managed to disappoint after I've seen all the magic these people can perform on-screen, you wonder? Well, it's sort of difficult to explain. While its story had amazing potential with excellent characters, it just simply hadn't developed the way it should. The story itself picks you up from the very beginning, but by the time the movie reaches it's end - you've forgotten all about it. The characters have derived from a great idea, but were extremely under-written. They could have had a much bigger influence on the storyline and the events within the movie. Yet, all has failed. Not quite miserably, but really noticeably.
All in all, another flunk. But, not by the actors' fault, but by the inability of the writers to do their own job. Like they've lost every ounce of motivation and ideas. No culmination, no dramatic moments and an ending done horribly wrong.
It's basically an undeveloped mess which looks more like somebody's lame autobiography flick than an actual thriller, by the time it reaches its end.
6 out of 10 with a disappointed shake of the head.
