While vacationing in Morocco with his wife (Naomie Harris), a university teacher (Ewan McGregor) is befriended by a boisterous Russian (Stellan Skarsgård) who turns out to have laundered money for the Russian mob… Another John le Carré screen adaptation that entertains for the moment but fails to ignite the screen. Skarsgård and Damian Lewis are fun to watch as the larger-than-life Russian and a very le Carré-esque veteran MI6 operative, but McGregor and Harris are less interesting as a couple who’s struggling with their marriage. As a thriller, the film is uneven but does turn up the heat in the last half hour.
2016-Britain. 107 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Susannah White. Screenplay: Hossein Amini. Novel: John le Carré. Cast: Ewan McGregor (Peregrine ”Perry” Makepeace), Naomie Harris (Gail Perkins), Stellan Skarsgård (Dima), Damian Lewis, Velibor Topic, Alicia von Rittberg.
Trivia: Ralph Fiennes was allegedly first cast in Skarsgård’s part.
