The Playlist:
Last year we've had all manner of spy movies from raunch ("Kingsman: The Secret Service"), to broad comedy ("Spy"), to big franchise vehicles ("Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol," "Spectre"). But this year, we get a rare animal in the genre — a drama — and one based on a book by one of the greatest spy writers of all time, John Le Carré.
"Our Kind Of Traitor" brings together the terrific ensemble of Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård, Damian Lewis, Naomie Harris, and Jeremy Northam follows a couple whose holiday in Marrakech soon finds them on the run, and not knowing who to trust.
Joblo
McGregor and Harris are both charismatic screen presences, but they don't build any chemistry in their scenes together. McGregor in particular seems a little miscast; he doesn't bring that "ordinary man" quality necessary for a role like this. Not unlike their characters, the two actors are pawns in this game, and they're far overshadowed by the more showy performances. Skarsgard is one of our most reliable character actors, of course, and Dima is a terrific opportunity for him to munch on the scenery with great enthusiasm.
Haven't read the book but got to say I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Definitely recommended.
The Wrap
When Dima (Stellan Skarsgård), a voluble Russian oligarch whose beefy body is wallpapered with tattoos, calls Perry (Ewan McGregor), a British professor of poetry whom he’s met by chance in Morocco, a “gentleman,” he leaves the slightest of spaces between the word’s two halves. Perry is indeed proper and honorable, quick to rush to the rescue of a damsel in distress. But he’s also soft, sheltered, unchallenged. If freedom has a cost, he’s never paid it.
Great actors and looks interesting.