Rent Our Kind of Traitor (2016)

Not as good as hoped. - Our Kind of Traitor review by TB

I found this film rather boring and predictable, with few re deeming qualities. It had little suspence and although the cast was excellent, this film could have been so much better.

Watchable but oddly limp, plodding film with stellar cast - Our Kind of Traitor review by PV

This film should be better - a great writer (John le Carre) and a superb cast. However, something doesn't quite gel and I never felt really connected to the characters or cared about them. Maybe it's the direction? Not sure.

Anyway, the story strains credibility on several occasions - we're expected to believe that violent Russian gangsters can overnight turn into good caring fluffy bunny types. We're also expected to believe the Ewan McGregor character (a university poetry lecturer) would be married to a high-flying black lawyer. Sorry, but that's so unlikely and to affect my willing suspension of disbelief (essentially when watching any fictitious drama). I am sure John le Carre did not write it like that.

So, all in all, this is an oddly limp affair. My reaction to it is 'meh'.

And the Russian mafia are a lot nastier and less slick than portrayed, though there is much truth in the way they clean money in the City of London.

2 stars.

Lame-ish Spy Thriller - Our Kind of Traitor review by MD

Yet another film based on a John Le Carre novel, this boasts an impressive cast, yet strangely that combination just does not work on this occasion. Early on, you get the feeling that the set-up is highly contrived, and certainly the way in which a very ordinary university professor is sucked in to the murky world of espionage, mafia money laundering and government level skullduggery is pretty hard to believe.

The middle part was a muddled mix of clues, laboured exposition and gory action scenes that left me not just a little confused but also wanting more coherence - there was no real continuity, and the actors seemed at times to be as lost as I was.

Unfortunately, you could see the ending coming a mile off, but as always these days there was in fact a double ending, you know, the happy bit to offset the fact that everything went belly up first time round. I actually hated this ending: not only was it a cop out, but it was so briefly done that you were left hanging in the air. It kind of summed up the whole movie - badly handled, and inept.

All in all, I'm afraid, a bit of a waste of a potentially good story and a great cast.

Dull spy tale - Our Kind of Traitor review by Alphaville

A slow-burning, lo-key, sub-par Le Carré in which a poetry lecturer gets involved with a Russian mafia boss wanting to defect. It’s all pretty ho-hum with no twists and turns, little excitement, boring politicking and nothing we haven’t seen done better many times before. An hour passes before our hero is in any peril at all. Pedestrian direction from TV stalwart Susanna White and a bland score add a sheen of sameness to every scene, but even Bernard Herman would struggle to add any tension to this one.

Harry Palmer goes modernish - Our Kind of Traitor review by NC

Spot the Harry Palmer/Michael Caine character. Could never see the Bond girl as any good at at being on screen. Is really a TV film, but is not bad to be fair. Could be 2.5 stars to be fair...........

Watchable & Average Spy Drama - Our Kind of Traitor review by GI

As adaptations of John Le Carré novels go this is slightly disappointing. It's more a character piece that doesn't really get into the characters deep enough to draw you in and then it attempts some thriller style action which is a bit half hearted too. Overall it's an entertaining film that is very watchable and has a decent, if a little preposterous, story. Perry (Ewan McGregor), a university lecturer and Gail (Naomie Harris), a successful barrister, are on holiday in Morocco attempting to save their failing marriage when they're befriended by Dima (Stellan Skarsgård), a big Russian gangster, who slips Perry a computer flash drive urging him to hand it to MI6 on his return home. Dima wants protection in return for information on corrupt British politicians and MI6 man Hector (Damian Lewis) is all ears but faces internal problems getting Dima's demands agreed and adding to the problems Dima will only trust Perry and Gail, who are forced into a very dangerous situation. A basic story of the Mr Normal getting caught up in espionage and political shenanigans. The plot has holes galore and some of it makes little sense but it's a globetrotting tale told with panache and the cast are good.

Flat spy thriller - Our Kind of Traitor review by AER

After a promising start, nothing convinces in this flat thriller. Characters exist to serve a plot that just drives a well-furrowed path. If you like JOhn Le Carre, this is the weakest film adaptation for some time. The actors are asleep, the locations wasted (except for the Alps) and the characters seem to be very black and white in their ways - good and evil. Stellan Skarsgard's character would have benefitted from a bit more development, and the central couple are barely present. Only Damian Lewis distinguishes himself as a spy with a grudge and a personal reason to see his unsanctioned mission go to plan. Below average - stick with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or the TV adaptation of The Night Manager.