The 1963 Wynne trial, in which Greville Wynne was indicted for spying on Soviet Russia, is an event absolutely ripe for cinematic adaptation. Held in a bunker in Moscow, the accused Wynne spent two years behind bars, in cells where there was no sunlight, heating, or plumbing. It’s here that director Dominick Cooke and co-writer Tom O’ Connor find inspiration for the Cold War thriller “The Courier.” The feature follows the life, times, and crimes leading up to his arrest, and the courage Wynne showed as an Everyman in an every-man-for-himself situation.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Wynne, an almost bland businessman. He spends his afternoons at the golf course and is happily married to Sheila (Jessie Buckley) and father to Andrew (Keir Hills). When a friend invites him to dinner with an American consultant (Rachel Brosnahan), the two ask if he’ll join the secret service, and he nearly spits out his tea. “I’m just a businessman,” Wynne scoffs. Not anymore, you’re not.
Cue the James Bond music.
The action picks up in 1960s Moscow, on the eve of a Missile Crisis that will forever change the course of history. The terrified Wynne runs from meeting to meeting, under the guise of a business to collect information from Col. Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a Soviet official who is willing to betray his country. He’s a warm, inviting presence, nothing like those one-dimensional baddies in charge, and he slowly emerges as another heroic Everyman, made all the more heroic by Ninidze’s grand performance.
Penkovsky may be Robin to Wynne’s Batman (at least in the history books), but Cooke frames our heroes as equals, even if Wynne gets more screen-time. We see the two bond over drinks, conversations about family and politics, as well as a trip to the opera house, where they cry while watching a rendition of “Swan Lake.” It’s in these scenes that Wynne grows more confident in the field. He’s asked to do more as time goes on, to collect more info, take more pictures, traverse more obstacles, which eventually leads to his arrest at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport.
Cumberbatch is superb, but there are so many rich and valiant storylines to follow. Cooke wants to follow them all. There are few threads he could have done without, such as the “a woman made sacrifices too!” subplot that is ostensibly included to give Buckley something to do.
The most riveting moments are the undercover meetings and operations, whether Wynne is gathering information from Penkovsky or walking through cement buildings straight-out-of “The Conformist.” The spy-stuff is incredibly compelling, filming the characters from a distance to make it feel as if someone else is watching, while secrets are whispered in the dark.
The scenes at home are at times disjointed, rife with random picnics, dinners, and arguments, not as tightly controlled as the spy-thriller at the heart of the matter. But it’s necessary for Cooke to include Wynne’s history and family and backstory to illustrate just how much of an Everyman he was, and to make us feel like we could step up if given the chance. Because fundamentally, “The Courier” is not about espionage—it’s about the sacrifices we make to help our country—in this patriotic, put-you-there true story. [B]
“The Courier” is available now in select theaters.