Thin Liang after the Cold War

Myrtice 2022-12-24 03:19:29

Since Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011), the film adaptation of Le Carré has ushered in a small climax. In 2014, "Most Wanted" starring the late Hoffman, last year was the miniseries "Night Shift Manager" produced by BBC and co-starring Dou Sen and Uncle Hugh, and this year, "We Are Traitors". It's not well-made, and the cast is also powerful enough to be dizzying. It can be seen that Le Carré's post-Cold War works have still received extremely high market recognition.

"Traitor" tells the story of British civilians who were accidentally involved in the internal fighting of Russian gangsters and helped the gang leaders escape and expose the conspiracy in cooperation with MI6. Unlike "Tinker"'s highly suspenseful and depressing story atmosphere, "Traitor" is created by the murderous killing at the beginning of the story that creates tension and maintains this tension in the subsequent series of escapes. The mode of "Traitor" looks outdated, but the logic of the story itself does not provide much room. The villain is simple and rude and has low intelligence. It is not the same level as the long-term battle of wits and willpower in "Tinker".

Fresh meat Ewan McGregor plays the male lead civilian teacher. He is innocent and ignorant but he has a bit of courage, and the performance is nothing. Damian Lewis brought by the director from the series Billions played MI6 officials. Despite wearing black-framed glasses and a British trench coat, he still did not get rid of the aggressiveness in Billions. I personally admire the old civil servant-like intelligence officer style of Gary Oldman in "Tinker". Lean and able to walk with wind, the image of always brilliant eyes is still suitable for 007. (By the way, the hedge fund boss played by Lewis in Billions also makes me hard to accept. Since Cohen is the prototype, this image is too different from Cohen. If Hoffman is not dead, he will play Cohen, With Giamatti, Billions will become a masterpiece.) The old Swedish drama Stellan Skarsgard, who plays the fleeing boss, is particularly brilliant, bold and unrestrained, and lonely and desperate complement each other. It is said that this role originally belonged to the British male god Ralph Fiennes, but I have to say that Skarsgard's performance is quite worthy of the audience. The charm and tragedy of his successfully portrayed characters completely provoked the depth of humanity in the film.

Le Carré’s signature is his style. Since the main famous works are all about the Cold War, his stories are often extremely melancholy, showing humanity and destiny slowly under the deep system. The Swede Tomas Alfredson understood this style well, went against the fast-paced commercial film rhythm, stubbornly expressed it, and achieved such an excellent work as "Tinker". However, the subject matter after the Cold War lacks innate depth, it is not easy to tell the story well. It is a success if you can stand up the character (such as the shadow of the spy), and deeper artistic expression cannot be forced. "Traitor" is the second time director Susanna White has directed the big screen (the miniseries are not bad, such as "The End of the Queue" by Juan Fu). According to the above criteria, this answer sheet is actually not bad. The photography is beautiful and smooth, and the plot has no obvious logical problems. The collocation and transformation of the scenes show the intention, but the depth of the scenes is not very good, such as the confession on the Hector train, which is very blunt and not moving. In contrast, the scene where Oldman gets drunk and monologues in "Tinker" is simply the finishing touch.

If it is not for the pursuit of beauty and sexy and hot action, but a preference for coldness like me, the film "Traitor" is still worth watching.

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Extended Reading

Our Kind of Traitor quotes

  • Dima: Give this to your MI6. Tell them you have a gift from the number one money launderer from the Russian mafia.

  • Emilio Del Oro: Where do you live in London?

    Gail: Chelsea.

    Emilio Del Oro: Are you happy?

    Gail: In Chelsea?

    Emilio Del Oro: With your husband?

    Gail: That's a very direct question.

    Emilio Del Oro: I'm curious why a couple who've been married 10 years would take two romantic holidays in the space of a month.