All the Old Knives

A retrospectively narrated espionage conversational drama that is pretty solid – judging by the reviews here, I was expecting a much bigger mess. Chris Pine is called in years after the hijacking of a plane and the killing of 120 passengers to reunite with a former colleague and together find out which colleague was the rat behind the incident and use new information to point the finger of blame, but ultimately not everything is as clear cut as we think from the first few minutes. Even though it is more or less a 100-minute table talk, the film has quite a compelling storyline and a form of gradual delivery of information, so you are definitely not bored and quite willingly devour the new revelations. The twist, after which there is another, much bigger and more shocking twist, is also very good and in the last minutes I was even pretty much pinned to my seat. All the Old Knives is a film that hover around the average, but I'll happily throw in that fourth star because despite my initial skepticism, I was pleasantly surprised by the end. If you're hesitant, don't be discouraged and go into the film without second thoughts. (18.04.2022)

A solid intimate conversation drama that tries to combine the incompatible, namely le Carré with bodice rippers, which go against each other on several levels. The former works with hints and the unspoken between the lines, while the latter revels in relational literalness. To its own detriment, it's so straddled between the two genres that it doesn't hold up properly in either. Even so, it could have turned out much better had there been a greater spark between the central duo, which would have brought a more tangible tension and suspense to the fateful reunion years later. Moreover, the game does not add to the impressions of a clear outcome from the beginning. (09.04.2022)