The Courier 4K 2020 Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
In the shadow of the Cold War a letter from Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) an agency of the Soviet Union received by MI6 stating the concern of Penkovsky about world safety and his anxiety about a nuclear war, So Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) a CIA Agent reached out to MI6 Agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) , who recruited British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) to be their spy.

User Review
Long delayed because of Covid, "The Courier" finally received its cinematic release in the UK in August of 2021. A theme of my reviews of biopics is that whilst the subject is often interesting, the actual story of their life is not worthy of being a film, that is most certainly not the case here.

With the cold war warming up, Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a high-ranking Soviet official, fears the oblivion of Nuclear War. He attempts to make contact with the West. Fearing that any traditional intelligence officer is likely to be under immediate suspicion, a combined CIA/MI6 operation identifies legitimate businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) as a potential go between. As the relationship between Penkovsky and Wynne deepens, the pair risk more and more for a goal that might literally save the world.

To say that I only went to see "The Courier" because it worked out timewise with another film I'd seen that day, I really rather enjoyed it. The Sixties period work is well done as is the locational scouting, finding places in Prague and London that look similar to as they did at the time. I wasn't aware of the story of the film going in, so when it came, I was quite unsure whether Wynne and Penkovsky would be able to get out of the country or not. It made for a genuinely tense experience.

There is a strong supporting cast. Rachel Brosnahan, Angus Wright, Anton Lesser and Jessie Buckley are all good, but the films two central performances are particularly excellent. Merab Ninidze actively displays all of the conflict he is going through, understanding entirely what he risks by betraying his country, but understanding the risk of unstable men leading the USSR to the brink of annihilation. Cumberbatch though is something else. Yes, he gets to do the showy actor thing of losing a great deal of weight, but it was moments earlier in the film that got me, his face when he decides to go to Moscow one last time for example, just brilliant.

Now I know the story, it will not require watching the film again any time soon, but for the performances if nothing else (and it is a solid story) it's well worth your time.