Page Eight (2011)

This review written in 2016. The Bond franchise is still in play, barely, and upstart franchises like FF7 are slowly but surely taking over the traditional spy "caper." And then there is Page 8. Wow. Assuming, as a moviephile, you don't swoon merely on hearing the cast (Felicity Jones and Michael Gambon in supporting roles!) the story, the pacing, the direction, the dialog, the cinematography, the acting --- these are all a treat to be savoured.This is of course the other side of the spy game, with a hero who boasts that he doesn't "do violence" and who when asked by an associate that he no longer trusts, why he picked a certain restaurant for the rendez-vous, proudly answers, "For the best reason of all, the food." Nighy in one of the best roles of his career also talks about life not being worth living without honour. Not many actors could make that line ring true. He does.Astonishing, under-rated and to a large degree unappreciated.And massively recommended.

Take two twelve bottle cases of wine and stack one on top of the other.. then try carrying them both in one arm, while you're carrying something else in the other.. oh yea, and make it look totally easy, like there was nothing inside the two boxes.. (cause obviously there wasn't)!! And that's only one example of just how absurd parts two and three of this trilogy eventually become. Page Eight was really good enough (gorgeous RW), and I was so looking forward to the other two segments. But it was like night and day.. as if part one was made in Britain, and two and three in the US. The 7 rating is for part one.. two and three deserve no more than a 5.. and that's being overly generous.

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.

If you take a look at the cast, you should be wondering how this can be called a TV-movie. Starting with Bill Nighy, but not ending with Rachel Weisz. A great ensemble that does not only promise good acting, it also delivers it. Add a witty script, with some great ideas and you have an excellent movie. If you only add the "TV movie" sticker, I might as well have rated it higher.But even without that added bonus "point", I can assure you, that if you like political dramas/thrillers, you will absolutely love this. Apart from conspiracy and other things, this neatly ties in everything and more. The story is far more complex than one might think at the beginning. Very well thought of and very well executed.