"Spy Games" - a film that makes you nervous and miss the USSR

The movie is based on real events

The film tells the story of two spies who tried to thwart the Cuban missile crisis during the Cold War. One of the agents is Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a GRU colonel from the USSR. The second is British businessman Greville Wynn (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Penkovsky is worried that Khrushchev could start a nuclear war. The hero secretly contacts the US Embassy in order to interfere with the plans of the head of state in cooperation with Western intelligence services.

But Greville Wynn is, in fact, forced to become Penkovsky's assistant. Security officials promise Wynne a fee, guarantee security, and at times manipulate the businessman's feelings. And he agrees to go to the USSR to establish contact with a Russian spy.

This is how the story of a complex operation begins. Penkovsky gives Winn envelopes with documents on Soviet developments, and he delivers them to MI-6. And over time, a friendship is struck between the heroes, which is not affected by either the language barrier, or the country of origin, or social status.

The Penkovsky case became very famous in the USSR, and his name for a long time turned into a synonym for the word "betrayal". Some historians consider Penkovsky to be one of the most significant spies for the United States. Others argue that he did not have access to classified material, and therefore his activities could not undermine the government's plans.

But even without knowing the historical basis, the viewer will easily grasp the essence of the plot. The narrative is built consistently and neatly - we understand what we are talking about and do not ask unnecessary questions.

The plot keeps you in suspense

Wynne and Penkovsky are depicted in the film alive, human, and therefore we are imbued with sympathy for the heroes. We want their operation to end safely. We understand that agents are in danger, and this makes us worry.

The slow pace of storytelling also works for this. Indeed, against such a “level” background, even a cursory glance and a word thrown in passing look no less powerful than explosions in action films. In every interaction between the characters, we see that the heroes' level of self-control is off the charts. Agents are forced to control themselves - in public and at home, carefully watching what and how they say.

It feels like the characters are playing a chess game. To win, and in the case of heroes, to survive, you need to calculate many steps in advance, provide for different options. The viewer quickly reads this "artificiality" of everyday actions, which also keeps him in suspense.

The Soviet Union is depicted vividly and tastefully

There are no usual "bad Russians" and other "cranberries" in the picture. There are no bears roaming the streets, and people are not playing balalaikas. We are shown ordinary living people with their fears, sorrows and joys. Everything looks not flat, natural.

The atmosphere of the middle of the last century is perfectly recreated. On the screen - objects well known to us: crystal glasses, cigarettes, ribbons in pigtails. The details, like the large-scale decorations, make you feel nostalgic. The work of the stylists is wonderful: the costumes and hairstyles of the heroes also send us back to the past.

The USSR is also revived by nature filming. We recognize the alleys of Moscow, the buildings of the Stalinist Empire style. True, there is a hotel here with a strange name "Vitaliy", but it seems that this is the only drawback.

Interesting directorial moves

It is worth noting the film noir atmosphere. The male characters here, as it should be, are mostly quite tough, cold, balancing on the verge of good and evil. They have their own ambiguous motives for action. The heroes are restrained, secretive, self-confident. Conversations sometimes take place in side streets, and the space of the city, like the heroes themselves, looks harsh and oppressive.

The costumes are also stylized and monochromatic: the characters are often dressed in long cloaks and hats. The heroes smoke endlessly and look sternly from under their brows.

There are no fatal seductresses here, but female characters play an important role. Greville's wife is a lady with character who suspects her husband of treason. Their relationship is tense and passionate, which also reminds us of noir. By the way, Jesse Buckley, who recently appeared in Charlie Kaufman's film “I'm Thinking To End It All,” did an excellent job with the role of wife.

The artistic details are also worthy of special attention. There is a scene in the film in which the characters are watching the ballet Swan Lake. The swans in the play are enchanted people who lead a double life: during the day they are birds, and at night they take on human form. We see how in the theater the hero of Benedict Cumberbatch is unable to hold back his tears, because he understands too well what it means to be “bewitched” and hide his real self.

Another example of vivid, poignant detail is the episode in which the main characters hold hands. This gesture, more eloquent than tears and loud words, characterizes people exhausted by life, who have found real comrades in each other.

Ideas that will touch the viewer

The film leads the viewer to a number of interesting considerations. The hero of Benedict Cumberbatch in one of the episodes utters a succinct phrase: "Our politicians hate your politicians." This line is one of the central ideas of the film: the Cold War was not really fought between superpowers. Only those at the helm were at enmity, while ordinary people continued to live their lives.

A study of Penkovsky's motives shows us that history is rethought over the years. The one who is considered to be a traitor appears before the viewer in a new light. In the picture, the GRU colonel is depicted as a person who wishes to take responsibility and prevent a catastrophe. He is the one who consciously takes risks and tries to influence the fate of his country.

And this prompts us to another important thought: not only the heads of state made history, but also dark horses that acted imperceptibly. And they made a significant contribution to our present, which could have looked different without their participation.

Spy Games is a gripping and well-done historical film. The tense noir atmosphere and captivating plot make it worth seeing. The multinational casting is also of great interest: actors from Great Britain, Georgia, Russia and the USA starred in the film. An excellent production both captivates the viewer and gives him food for deep reasoning.