Our Kind of Traitor

THIS movie could have been so much better. With that said, it is by no means bad, just one that won’t ­necessarily attract a wide range of ­audiences.
Our Kind of Traitor is ­essentially a spy thriller rooted very much in the real world, as there are no over-the-top action scenes or cool ground-breaking gadgets.
Instead, it’s the drama and heartstring-tugging scenes that will get to you. But even then, it’s a very thin veil of drama and ­emotions.
The movie is focused on Perry (Ewan McGregor), a mild-mannered poetry lecturer, who gets caught up in a plan by Dima (Stellan Skarsgård), a high-ranking Russian criminal.
Attempting to gain asylum for himself and his family, Dima ­entrusts Perry with a memory stick with ­information on a major money laundering ring that ­involves politicians, royalty and a major bank.
With the help of MI6 agent Hector (Damian Lewis), Perry and Dima are then sent into a life-threatening journey that takes them from London to Paris and then the Swiss Alps.
The movie actually plays out at quite a slow pace and while there are some moments where it seems like things are about to pick up, it is over far too quickly.
Quite frankly, the plot is paper thin and quite predictable. Even when things are supposed to be tense, they kind of fall flat.
The cast play their roles well, as expected from the likes of McGregor and Skarsgård, the stand out being the latter as his character switches between loving father, worried man, and ­dangerous mobster throughout the film.
One thing I actually liked about the movie is the fact that instead of some kick-ass superspy as the protagonist, this one uses Average Joes as its heroes.
I just wish it wasn’t so ­predictable.If you are interested in the plot, I would suggest picking up the John le Carré novel the movie is based on, instead.