Review of Page Eight (2011) by Prasad P — 25 Sep 2011

Director David Hare's update on the shady world of espionage makes a very promising start - with a superbly convincing set up and a de-glamorized, almost surreal portrayal of the world of spying and intelligence gathering.

But the story fails to arc convincingly and does not reach a real burning point, and ultimately is let down in its third act, where the resolutions are quick and the loose ends are tied up all too easily.

The film has no sense of urgency or emergency and its politics, while obvious in its set up, do not become anything more, ending up even more glib and lifeless than promised. That is not to say the film doesn't have merit.

Of the performers, Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon and Ralph Feinnes are superb, and the London we see is a chilly, secretive lonely place, shot in cold blues wearily punctuated by yellows and greens.