The Courier

"Based on the incredible true story of a businessman turned spy."

2020 1h 52m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,427

ThrillerHistoryDrama

Synopsis

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Cold War spy Greville Wynne and his Russian source try to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

“Based on the incredible true story of a businessman turned spy.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch
Greville Wynne
Merab Ninidze
Oleg Penkovsky
Rachel Brosnahan
Emily Donovan
Jessie Buckley
Sheila Wynne
Angus Wright
Dickie Franks
Kirill Pirogov
Gribanov
Iva Šindelková
Embassy Assistant
Vladimir Chuprikov
Nikita Khrushchev

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dominic Cooke
Writers: Tom O'Connor
Languages: English, Russian
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dominic Cooke, shot by Sean Bobbitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Abel Korzeniowski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tariq Anwar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Benedict Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze and Rachel Brosnahan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Based on the incredible true story of a businessman turned spy.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dominic Cooke directs. Sean Bobbitt behind the camera. Abel Korzeniowski scores. Tariq Anwar cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Russian.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Dominic Cooke, shot by Sean Bobbitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Abel Korzeniowski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tariq Anwar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Benedict Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze and Rachel Brosnahan carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Based on the incredible true story of a businessman turned spy.".
9IMDB entry: tt8368512 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt
Original score: Abel Korzeniowski
Editing: Tariq Anwar
Production design: Suzie Davies
Costume design: Keith Madden
Makeup / hair: Klára Capková
Sound: Robert Farr
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $26,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Courier (2020)

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Dominic Cooke

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Community reviews

What people are saying

sykobanana2021-05-09
★ 8/10
Cumberbatch shines in this 1960's Cold War spy thriller. This movie is worth watching just for Cumberbatch's performance alone (this is probably his best so far), but he is also backed up by the talented Brosnahan and Ninidze. This film doesnt run at a fast pace, but if you have patience, it is a little known and extremely rewarding part of history. (More Bridge of Spies than Tom Clancy).
JPV8522021-06-12
★ 8/10
Well made and suspense-filled historical-thriller with another great performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. Doesn't exactly have an emotional impact but still well worth checking out. 3.75/5
r96sk2022-03-25
★ 9/10
Excellent! It's not quite '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/bridge-of-spies/" rel="nofollow">Bridge of Spies</a>', but 'The Courier' is too an awesome MI6/CIA/KGB infused flick. The two films tell tales regarding the Cold War, with the 2015 release narrowly a notch above this. Both have outstanding lead performances though. Benedict Cumberbatch is magnificent throughout, especially towards the end - the bald look suits him incredibly well, I must say... need him in a drug kingpin sorta role looking like that! In all seriousness though, I think this is my favourite Cumberbatch performance (from what I've seen thus far) - utterly brilliant! Merab Ninidze (also in BoS, albeit minorly) also puts in a top display, as he does in television's '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMafia" rel="nofollow">McMafia</a>'. Jessie Buckley also gives a performance of note, which says a lot about her acting abilities given she doesn't feature all that heavily. Astutely paced, builds terrific tension and features some cracking acting. Fantastic film!