Cold War spy Greville Wynne from Britain and his Russian source Merab Ninidze try to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The setting of this film is in the shadow of the Cold War between America and Russia. A letter is sent by Oleg Penkovsky and he is working for an agency of the Soviet Union. The letter is received by MI6 states the concerns Penkovsky has about world safety. He is very anxious about a possible nuclear war. Emily Donovan is a CIA Agent and she reaches out to MI6 Agent Dickie Franks. British salesman Greville Wynne has been recruited to be their spy. Spying at this time is very dangerous because a spy can be arrested at any time or any moment if their cover is blown. Their personal circumstances will degrade every minute from torture to possible death.
It is very stressful and there is a lot of tension after the US establishes a missile base on the island of Cuba. Missiles will not reach Russia from America so this is defensive plan to retaliate if Russia fires a missile heading to America. It is also an effort to combat and prevent nuclear war between the two countries.
This is a fact-based British spy thriller set during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It has torture scenes, strong language and smoking throughout. But it also celebrates the immense courage of two men -- Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovsky. They work tirelessly and risk their lives to save the world from nuclear war. Set in 1962, the movie depicts some sexist and misogynistic behavior. Men leer over their female colleagues and wives are expected to cook and host when guests come over. They also care for their children while their husbands are at work. They are never told about the secrets!! 5 1/2* (I really liked this movie)
112 min, Drama directed by Dominic Cooke, written by Tom O’Connor with Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Nindze, Rachel Brosnahan, Vladimir Chuprikov, James Schofield, Fred Haig, Emma Penzina, Mariya Mironova, Anton Lesser, Angus Wright, David Bark-Jones, Miles Richardson, Keir Hill, Jess Buckley, Zeljko Ivanek, Kirill Pirogov, Petr Klimes.
Note: Imdb 7.1* out of 10* with 29K reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 86% with 197 reviews, 95% with 1,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 65 out of 100 with 37 critic reviews 7 out of 10 with 55 user scores, Roger Ebert 3* Odie Henderson, Washington Post Ann Hornaday 3* out of 4*, Common Sense Media Stefan Pape, age 13+, 2* out of 5* sex, 3* positive role models and language, drinking, drugs and smoking, 4* positive messages and violence.
Special Note: Greville Wynne wrote an autobiography that was first published in 1967. It was titled 'The Man From Moscow: The Story of Wynne and Penkovsky'. Screenwriter Tom O'Connor was aware that the reliability of this book had been questioned. O'Connor said: "I read what a few people said who did a point-by-point discrediting of the things that Wynne claimed happened arguing that they couldn't possibly be real?”
Mistake: In a panoramic shot of Moscow, Wynne walks along the embankment opposite the building of the Ministry of Defense. Although it was built in 1951, a late 2014 annex with two-headed eagles on the friezes is visible. In Soviet times, two-headed eagles were a symbol of czarism and under no circumstances could they appear on an official building in the center of Moscow.
Trivia: $6,613,432 gross US & Canada, opening weekend $1,885,829, gross worldwide $21,205,358.
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