The Courier, Grade: B
The Courier tells the story of the Government wanting to bring on salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), to prevent Russia from succeeding Nuclear War to happen that would wipe out civilization. With Wynne they believe he can successfully retrieve documents of nuclear missiles, how to ensemble and break them down safely back from the USSR, due to the fact Wynne has a low profile not affiliated with the government and of course is just an ordinary salesman.
The Cinematography was solid, felt very accustomed to an everyday historical based on true events style like film. There are a couple memorable wide shots in this film, from the streets and from a subway station. The Score was I believe enjoyable, however forgettable as well. The cast all in all was solid as a whole. I felt Benedict Cumberbatch gave a pretty standard Benedict Cumberbatch performance. Not necessarily a bad thing given this was another solid performance, it's just didn't wow'd me nor did it offer anything new to what we've seen from Cumberbatch. Greville Wynne on paper is a solid character that speaks true volumes of courage, however on screen... I didn't really feel much, other than just a couple sequences. For some reason this film doesn't latch me onto this character as effectively as he should've, the story itself is engaging it's just this character wasn't doing much for me as shown.
The Courier is a steadily paced film, however for the first couple acts I was fairly engaged yet wasn't entirely engaged. I believe it's due to the fact they skimmed majority of the interesting parts, like we rarely ever see Wynne do much business, we just see it as a montage as we only see Wynee talking with one whom appears to be a traitor against the USSR (rightfully so of course). Though fairly engaging, it can however become repetitive and even little bit boring. However I do felt this film finishes strong with the third act, as there is a sense of tension being made as then the audience felt more awake and involved, due to the circumstances these characters are currently in. Though it lead towards major success, it also was extremely heart wrenching watching the events our characters had to endure. For an important story to tell about a regular salesman, having a great amount of courage none of us could ever attempt to do so, as he saved the world... Gets the job done.
Overall, The Courier t'was a solid film. I recommend checking this one out, it'll almost make you appreciate the telephone as well. -Mitch Smietana