The Courier (2020 film)

The Courier is a 2020 historical drama film directed by Dominic Cooke about the work between a British businessman Greville Wynne, recruited as an MI-6 agent, and Soviet spy Oleg Penkovsky, who passed information to the West that helped defuse the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Wynne, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley, Merab Ninidze, Angus Wright, and Kirill Pirogov. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2020, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on 28 August 2020.

The Courier
Directed byDominic Cooke
Produced by
  • Dominic Cooke
  • Tom O’Connor
  • Ben Pugh
  • Rory Aitken
  • Adam Ackland
  • Josh Varney
  • Leah Clarke
Written byTom O’Connor
Starring
CinematographySean Bobbitt
Edited byGareth C. Scales
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24) (Sundance)
  • 28 August 2020 (2020-08-28) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

Premise

The Courier tells the "true story of the British businessman who helped the CIA penetrate the Soviet nuclear programme during the Cold War. Wynne and his Russian source, Oleg Penkovsky (codenamed Ironbark), provided crucial intelligence that ended the Cuban Missile Crisis."[2]

Cast

Production

Development

On 1 May 2018, it was announced that FilmNation Entertainment was producing a film about British spy Greville Wynne from a script by Tom O’Connor. Dominic Cooke is set to direct the film and produce alongside O’Connor, Ben Pugh, Rory Aitken, Adam Ackland, Josh Varney, and Leah Clarke. Production companies involved with the film include SunnyMarch.[2][3][4][5]

Casting

Alongside the initial production announcement, it was confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch had been cast as Greville Wynne.[2] In October 2018, it was announced that Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley, Merab Ninidze, Angus Wright, and Kirill Pirogov had joined the cast of the film.[6] [7]

Filming

Principal photography for the film commenced on 15 October 2018 and it lasted until 7 December 2018.[8][9]

Release

The film had its world premiere under the title Ironbark at the Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2020.[10] Shortly after, Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[11] The film, under the new name The Courier, was given an August 28, 2020 theatrical release in the United States.[12]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6.56/10.[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

References
  1. "Ironbark". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  2. Wiseman, Andreas (3 May 2018). "Benedict Cumberbatch To Star As Cold War Spy Greville Wynne In FilmNation Thriller 'Ironbark' — Hot Cannes Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  3. McNary, Dave (3 May 2018). "Benedict Cumberbatch to Play Cold War Spy in Thriller 'Ironbark'". Variety. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  4. Ritman, Alex (3 May 2018). "Benedict Cumberbatch to Play Cold War Spy in FilmNation's 'Ironbark'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  5. White, James (3 May 2018). "Benedict Cumberbatch Playing A Spy In Ironbark". Empire. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  6. N'Duka, Amanda (8 October 2018). "'Mrs. Maisel' Star Rachel Brosnahan Joins Benedict Cumberbatch In 'Ironbark'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  7. Grater, Tom (11 October 2018). "Jessie Buckley joins Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel Brosnahan in 'Ironbark' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  8. "Film and Television Industry Alliance - Production List: Ironbark". Production List. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  9. Cook, Laurence (16 October 2018). "Week in Review: Sky Takes 'Bold Step' With Major U.K. Drama Investment + More Industry News". Backstage. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  10. Siegel, Tatiana (4 December 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  11. Fleming Jr, Mike (27 January 2020). "Lionsgate Closing U.S. Deal On Benedict Cumberbatch Cold War Thriller 'Ironbark:' Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  12. "Benedict Cumberbatch's 'The Courier' Lands August Release in Theaters". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  13. "The Courier (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  14. "The Courier Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
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