Film review: Our Kind of Traitor (3 out of 5)

There have been various movies based on the work of John Le Carre - some have been excellent, others not so good.
Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris in Our Kind of Traitor.Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris in Our Kind of Traitor.
Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris in Our Kind of Traitor.

The latest, Our Kind of Traitor, falls somewhere in the middle.

It’s an exciting adventure but doesn’t really hit the heights of, say, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

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The success of these films was due to their subtlety and the very real feeling of tension against a background of normal people going about their everyday lives.

Our Kind of Traitor is all about a world of corruption and violence.

What lifts it above several of the other Le Carre works is the superb cast. Damian Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård and Naomie Harris lead the way.

McGregor plays Perry Makepeace, a university lecturer on poetry who we first see with his girlfriend Gail Perkins (Harris) in Morocco trying to mend a fragile relationship.

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Into their lives comes Dima (Skarsgård), an accountant for the Russian mafia who fears for his life and that of his family.

Soon Perry and Gail are involved with both the British Secret Service and the mafia, facing all kinds of threats.

The interplay between the main characters is particularly good and Damian Lewis as a British Secret Service agent with an agenda stands out.

However, there are some plot holes and we are asked to make some leaps of faith when certain major events happen.

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Overall though if you fancy a good paced thriller then this should fit the bill.

Film details: Our Kind of Traitor (15) 107mins

Director: Susanna White

Starring: Damian Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård

Screening courtesy of Horsham Capitol

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