Forget glamorous secret agents, high-tech gadgets, and impossible action sequences—this tense historical thriller uncovers the astonishing true story of an unassuming British businessman unexpectedly recruited into one of the Cold War’s most dangerous espionage operations. As global tensions spiral toward nuclear conflict, he forms an unlikely friendship with a courageous Soviet insider, carrying top-secret intelligence across the Iron Curtain while knowing that a single mistake could cost them both their lives

Cumberbatch has it all to do in this slow-paced, real-life tale of 60s Soviet espionage directed by Dominic Cooke

Royal Court theatre alumnus and film-maker Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach) directs, dressing the story in a suitably ominous colour palette and capturing the oppressive sense of lives surveilled.

The Courier review: Benedict Cumberbatch excels in an otherwise predictable  Cold War tale | The Independent

But with slack pacing and insufficient focus, the film lacks the crackle of tension and propulsive efficiency of something like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

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