The Cold War may be over but the Russian mafia schemes to infiltrate London, one of the world’s financial capitals, to launder dirty money.
Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris are British couple Perry and Gail, holidaying in Morocco and struggling to get past infidelity. They encounter Dima (Stellan Skarsgard), a bluff Russian with a prodigious memory for numbers.
Dima, desperate to avoid certain death at the hands of a ruthless oligarch, sees a “gentleman” and honest soul in Perry, drawing him into a plan to defect by providing information on crooked British politicians.
The performances are lovely and director Susanna White manages to wring maximum tension from the cat-and-mouse game. Fans of spy novelist John le Carré may take umbrage with the reworked ending, but the film is nonetheless a riveting and accomplished work. - Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star
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