No. 27 (2021) THE COURIER. APRIL 12th.

 

Film No. 27 (2021)  April 12th.  3:40 PM.  Cinema 3  ORANA Kalgoorlie.

"This is unexpected, I can't believe I'm having lunch with spies. I'm just a salesman" (Greville meets Emily (CIA) and Dickie (M16)for a lunch which sets this story in motion).

I'd never heard of Greville Wynne before I entered the very comfortable Orana Cinemas Kalgoorlie, Western Australia last week. I'd suggest you read no further than this paragraph if you too have never heard about the feats of Wynne and are keen to see the film. The story is a cracking yarn based on the real-life friendship that developed between two family men, from very different cultures who developed a loyalty that went some way to saving the world in the early 60's.

When you hear that the U.S. and Britain put their heads together to try to avert the Cuban missile conflict by recruiting a courier with no credentials in espionage, there is a sense that this all sounds a little simplistic. But Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumerbatch), a business man with Russian connections, interested in making money, was seen as the perfect conduit for transferring information. Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a Russian national, was spying for The West. Wynne represented the the best format for connection. Grenville agrees to undertake the task set for him.

Not since Bridge of Spies (2015) have I enjoyed a thriller of this genre so much. Like Spies, The Courier  relies on the forces of a special relationship to meld the story and tighten the tension with every scene. Cumerbatch and Ninidze created the perfect melding of art and truth in a handsome film. Jessie Buckley (Sheila Wynne) and Rachel Brosnahan (playing CIA agent Emily Donovan) brought important aspects of the female influences in The Cold War. 

So, I'm giving nothing away here. The reason being, The Courier is cinema infused with all the elements of good storytelling based on true events. I was surprised at the gravity and influence that this unlikely friendship had on world history. There are some licences taken with regard to the embellishment of the story, but not many. Most importantly, did Wynne and Penkovsky influence the outcomes in tense Cuba in 1961? The answer is a definitive, YES! 10GUMS.