his film shows what happens when you pair a great John le Carré novel with world class acting from Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This is spook film done old-school — no flashy action or outrageous special effects necessary. I didn’t miss it at all. The thick tension, important yet nuanced detail, top notch acting, and the unique take on terrorism was all that was needed to make the 2 hours fly by. Great entertainment.
You can’t help but mourn the loss of Phillip Seymour Hoffman while watching this movie. It reminds you that there isn’t anyone else quite like him and his ability to make any character in-your-face real.
Rachel McAdams made for a great side-kick, and William Dafoe was nice to see – but wasn’t the presenence on screen compared to Phillip and Rachel. Grigoriy Dobrygin – the Chechen Rebel in the film was the strong-silent type, which unfortunately makes a great performance forgettable after a while.