The Courier tells the incredible and mostly unknown story behind the Cuban Missile Crisis and features a great and transformative performance from the delightful Benedict Cumberbatch and is well worth a rental at the very least.
The Courier
(2020)
Genre(s): Drama, Historical
Lionsgate| PG13 – 111 min. – $39.99 | June 1, 2021
Date Published: 06/17/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Lionsgate provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3¾/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: The true story of British businessman Greville Wynne (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH) unwittingly recruited into one of the greatest international conflicts in history. Forming an unlikely partnership with Soviet officer Oleg Penkovsky (MERAB NINIDZE) hoping to prevent a nuclear confrontation, the two men work together to provide the crucial intelligence used to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis. Quick Hit Review: The Courier is a very well made 1960s Cold War era spy-thriller that features a superb and transformative performance, no surprise, from Benedict Cumberbatch with honorable mention to Merab Ninidze. As someone who isn’t entirely familiar with the Cuban Missile Crisis beyond some of the basics, this is an eye-opening story of an everyman who is thrust, by MI6 and the CIA, to serve as a courier that eventually cool down tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Directed by Dominic Cooke in his follow-up to the drama On Chesil Beach, which I found to be so-so, The Courier does tell a great story, although I can’t say it delivered an emotional punch at any point, however and if not for Benedict Cumberbatch, I think this would’ve been pretty average. As a side, the film was scripted, oddly enough, by Tom O’Connor the scriptwriter behind The Hitman’s Bodyguard and its sequel, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2/5 |
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This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover, inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The lone bonus is On the Brink: Making The Courier (29:03) featurette. |
VIDEO – 4¼/5 |
| The Courier arrives on Blu-ray presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture looks about on par with any new release, detail is well defined and colors are more on the muted side with some richness here and there while black levels are stark without appearing crushed. |
AUDIO – 4/5 |
| The disc includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which isn’t anything amazing but being this is a strictly dialogue driven film but there is some modest depth especially during the scenes at the ballet or in the Russian gulag. |
OVERALL – 3/5 |
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The Courier tells the incredible and mostly unknown story behind the Cuban Missile Crisis and features a great and transformative performance from the delightful Benedict Cumberbatch and is well worth a rental at the very least. |