The film starts of with a very snazzy title sequence and unveils a starry cast list led by Bill Nighy which will begin a trilogy of films dealing with this MI5 agent.
Johnny Worricker out art collecting, jazz loving analyst stumbles across important information on Page 8 of a dossier he has been given to read by his boss (Michael Gambon) who incidentally is also married to his ex wife. The dossier implicates the British government to unsavoury practises in the war on terror with the American government such as rendition and torture.
Johnny also becomes friendly with a neighbour in his flat (Rachel Weisz) who wants his help to get rid of a boring date and they become friendly but Weisz had a brother who was killed in the Middle East and she is too close to home for comfort.
The film is essentially a stage drama between different protagonists despite location shooting as they deal with themes and rules of espionage in the manner of a John Le Carre novel. The rules of the old is making way for the rules of the new and some are finding this hard to stomach.
Leading the charge on the war on terror is the Prime Minister (Ralph Fiennes) who enters the proceedings with a swagger surrounded by his henchmen. We have a Home Secretary wanting more draconian laws. It is clear the film is set during the New Labour administration and writer/director David Hare is a left winger who likes to take pot shots at the type of left he despises although in this case he has good cause to be critical.
At the end Worricker has upset the Prime Minister, the rules of the game in MI5 has suddenly changed and he finds himself wondering where to go next.
The film is well acted and tense in places but it is also too wordy and dense which means its not always as stylish as its tile sequence.
Johnny Worricker out art collecting, jazz loving analyst stumbles across important information on Page 8 of a dossier he has been given to read by his boss (Michael Gambon) who incidentally is also married to his ex wife. The dossier implicates the British government to unsavoury practises in the war on terror with the American government such as rendition and torture.
Johnny also becomes friendly with a neighbour in his flat (Rachel Weisz) who wants his help to get rid of a boring date and they become friendly but Weisz had a brother who was killed in the Middle East and she is too close to home for comfort.
The film is essentially a stage drama between different protagonists despite location shooting as they deal with themes and rules of espionage in the manner of a John Le Carre novel. The rules of the old is making way for the rules of the new and some are finding this hard to stomach.
Leading the charge on the war on terror is the Prime Minister (Ralph Fiennes) who enters the proceedings with a swagger surrounded by his henchmen. We have a Home Secretary wanting more draconian laws. It is clear the film is set during the New Labour administration and writer/director David Hare is a left winger who likes to take pot shots at the type of left he despises although in this case he has good cause to be critical.
At the end Worricker has upset the Prime Minister, the rules of the game in MI5 has suddenly changed and he finds himself wondering where to go next.
The film is well acted and tense in places but it is also too wordy and dense which means its not always as stylish as its tile sequence.