Eight years after they failed to prevent a terrorist attack, two spies (Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton) reconnect over dinner to figure out if a mole tipped off the attackers.
What starts as an interrogation soon turns personal as the former agents and lovers try to figure out the truth.
Everything about this movie sounded intriguing.
First thing, the title is great. It evokes danger and violence in a way that feels familiar - like one of those potboilers you buy to read on a plane.
The combination of the actors and a two-hander dynamic also sounded promising.
While it is more often a set up for the stage, when it is done right, there is nothing more exciting than watching the shifting power dynamics between two performers in an extended scene.
I wish All The Old Knives were more involving.
The cast are good, but the movie lacks energy and the flashback plot structure does not lead to any revelations
One reason might be that if you have seen one movie about double-crossing spies, you might have figured it out already.
Or since the movie only has only two key characters, you expect one of them to turn out to be a bad ‘un. It is always a problem when you have characters who are established deceivers - it puts the viewer on edge about the characters as they are initially established.
Despite its pedigree, All The Long Knives is never as tense or profound as it wants to be.
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