Our Kind of Traitor is hardly perfect with a script that probably could’ve used some fine-tuning but with some great performances, headlined by Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård, as well as Naomi Harris who has some wonderful scenes, I think this is worth a rental or, if cheap, outright purchase.
Our Kind of Traitor
(2016)
Genre(s): Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Lionsgate | R – 108 min. – $24.99 | October 18, 2016
Date Published: 10/25/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis (from back cover): While on vacation, married couple Perry (EWAN MCGREGOR) and Gail (NAOMIE HARRIS) who unwittingly befriends a flamboyant and charismatic Russian named Dima (STELLAN SKARSGARD), who — unbeknownst to them — is a kingpin money launderer for the mafia. When Dima confides to Perry that he plans to escape from the mob and turn in evidence to the British MI-6, they’re quickly swept into the dangerous world of international espionage. The unlikely companions must undertake a perilous journey through Paris, Bern, and London in order to save Dima and his family.
Quick Hit Review: Based on the novel by international best-selling author John Le Carré’s novel, whose The Constant Gardner got a feature-film treatment, Our Kind of Traitor is a slowly paced but ultimately satisfying drama-thriller that succeeds more off of the performances from Ewan McGregor (taking over from Ralph Fiennes who dropped out) and Stellan Skarsgard – with a nod to Damian Lewis as an MI-6 man trying to get to the mob in spite of obstacles even within his own agency – more so than the script which for some might be a tad dry in spots. For me, and given it is only about 100 minutes without credits, it was an entertaining time with some well shot and suspense-filled moments and filming in some beautiful exotic European locations. Our Kind of Traitor was adapted by Hossein Amini (Snow White and the Huntsman) and directed by Susanna White (Nanny McPhee Returns), it’s not a perfect film by any stretch and based on other reviews from fans of Carré’s books, it might not be faithful adaptation, but for what it is, I found it to be a well done drama-thriller that’s worth a look at. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The Making of Our Kind of Traitor (10:58; HD) is a basic behind-the-scenes featurette that mixes interviews with the cast and crew with footage from the movie. Deleted Scenes (5:27; HD) – There are a handful of scenes removed, probably due to pacing, I’d imagine. The Cast (3:27; HD) is a featurette that introduces us to the actors and the characters they portray. The Story (3:05; HD) is a short featurette that examines the plot. Previews – Indignation, The Mechanic 2, American Pastoral, Hologram for the King, A Most Wanted Man |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Lionsgate releases Our Kind of Traitor onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). For the most part, this is a pleasing looking picture with decent colors, though does veer more on the darker side considering the story, but detail is fairly sharp and there were no instances of aliasing or artifacting. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The disc comes with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio which acquits itself quite well though this is mostly a talky film with only a few action set pieces and one explosion that isn’t as robust as I liked it to be. As such, most of the audio is centrally located with the front and rear channels being used for the music and ambient noises. Although not great, it’s still a fine lossless track. |
OVERALL – 3.5/5 |
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Overall, Our Kind of Traitor is hardly perfect with a script that probably could’ve used some fine-tuning but with some great performances, headlined by Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård, as well as Naomi Harris who has some wonderful scenes, I think this is worth a rental or, if cheap, outright purchase. The Blu-ray itself offers good video/audio transfers but a mediocre selection of bonus features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.