Our Kind of Traitor

Admittedly I am not the fastest when it comes to finishing books and Our Kind of Traitor, written by the great man of espionage John Le Carré, did indeed take me a while to get through. The story follows a couple who come across a wealthy Russian while on holiday who begs they help get his family to England in return for information on shady Russian/English deals. Having never touched his material before, I was perhaps used to a slightly more accessible style of writing with Headhunters, Gone Girl and the James Bond series whereas Le Carré plays the long game.

There were times where I wasn't sure if the story would be for me but it slowly pulled me in and was very exciting as it picked-up racing towards the finish. However, it wasn't all great with a divisive ending that left me unsure whether I could recommend the book to anyone else but still I wanted to see how it would translate to the big screen and here we are.

The cast seem well selected for the role with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Harris as the couple, Stellan Skarsgård as the Russian Dima and Damian Lewis as British agent Hector, with other characters, such as Luke, being pushed towards the background. Minor changes aside, this was a fairly faithful adaptation but is the film any good?

Now despite mixed reviews and a delayed release, I was surprised to find myself enjoying the film from start to finish. It wasn't the slickest spy thriller nor exactly the most thrilling but it was well paced and offered a more satisfying conclusion than what the book was able to achieve. With that said, Our Kind of Traitor owes a lot to Stellan Skarsgård's charismatic performance which really holds the film together. I was worried Studio Canal might make this your fun and forgettable British film and to an extent they did just that, but it's the performances that really work. Granted, Harris is shafted to the background and Hector comes across a little over-the-top but there's enough Our Kind of Traitor does well.

By the end, I had enjoyed the film but for those who haven't read the book, I would say that it's still a enjoyable watch for anyone interested in an entertaining spy flick. For fans of the book, I think this was as good a film as what could have been achieved from the material.