Cold War drama The Courier was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, but only received a theatrical release in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was directed by Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach, 2017) and follows the true story of Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), a British businessman-turned-spy that smuggled intel out of Russia during the Cold War, before being captured and tortured by the KGB.
After being recruited by CIA officer Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) and MI6 agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright), Wynne becomes a spy for American and British intelligence agencies. He is recruited under the assumption that the Russians will never suspect him of working for MI6. The film pays close attention to the partnership between Wynne and Colonel Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a military intelligence colonel (code name: Iron Bark) and a man who turns against his own country in order to help stop a new war. Wynne and Penkovsky transport enough intel out of Russia to aid America in averting the Cuban Missile Crisis, becoming a prodigious diffusion of a nuclear war that helped America maintain diplomatic relations with Russia.
Benedict Cumberbatch has starred in a few true-life dramas, playing well-known historical figures like Alan Turing in The Imitation Game (2014) and Thomas Edison in The Current War (2017). The Courier, however, is a true story that is not quite so well known. The film is based on true events, and the underlying history deserves to be shared.
Benedict Cumberbatch shines in the role of Greville Wynne, a humble, middle-aged businessman man that becomes caught up in spycraft. The movie has a gritty, cold, de-saturated colour palette. Its tone ties in well with the paranoia and conspiracy of Cold War espionage. The Courier is a well-crafted historical spy drama that focuses on character development rather than plot. At the heart of the film is a male friendship that adds a deep-felt emotional layer to an otherwise tense and unnerving film experience. At its core, it’s an optimistic story about two good men, separated by politics, but united by their desire to put an end to a nuclear war – saving the world, but risking their lives for the greater good.
The film is set in the 1960s, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the stakes couldn’t be higher. For contemporary viewers, the themes in this Cold War period film couldn’t be more relevant, considering the recent threats from Russia in the media. Benedict Cumberbatch really digs deep into what makes the duality of this character so conflicted. In the past, Wynne cheated on his wife Sheila (played by Jessie Buckley), which makes her suspicious when he starts exercising and disappearing on business trips to Russia. In Russia, Wynne is committed to his new life, which includes going to the ballet with Penkovsky, hosting business meetings, and drinking with clients, while prudently passing packages from a high-ranking Russian agent.
Director Dominic Cooke’s experience in theater directing adapts well to old-fashioned cinematic storytelling. The film is a triumph of character acting, and the supporting cast is fleshed out with amazing talent. Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as the American CIA officer Emily Donovan, Angus Wright (The Crown) as British Intelligence agent Dickie Franks, and Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose) as Sheila, Wynne’s wife. The real treat of the movie, though, is Merab Ninidze (Nowhere in Africa) as Oleg Penkovsky.
The film is a showcase of leading man Benedict Cumberbatch’s dedication to his craft, as he physically transforms himself for the role, shaving his head, losing weight, and completely immersing himself in the character. All in all, it’s one of the most compelling true-life war dramas that have ever been adapted for the big screen.