Actor Chris Pine recently starred in the action thriller The Contractor; a week later, he stars in another film, All the Old Knives. Danish filmmaker Janus Mets Pedersen directs this espionage thriller. Pine is now accompanied by senior actors, such as Thandiwe Newton, Laurence Fishburn, and Jonathan Pryce. This film is adapted from the novel of the same title by Olen Steinhauer; uniquely, he also wrote the script for this film. We haven’t watched a quality espionage thriller in a long time; can this film answer that?
Terrorists took over flight number 127 of Turkey Airlines at Vienna airport, Austria. The CIA Vienna office panicked because they missed it and tried to find a quick solution to solve the problem before the victims fell. CIA Vienna chief Vick (Fishburne) mobilizes all his formidable agents, including Henry (Pine) and Celia (Newton), to contact their source to find out what the hijackers want. However, they failed; all crew and passengers, including the hijackers, were killed before the authorities took action. Eight years later, the case is reopened, and the CIA suspects an insider leaked information to the hijackers. Vick also sends Henry to interrogate strong suspects, namely Celia and her boss, Bill (Pryce).
The strengths and weaknesses of the film are in the script. The real-time setting of the plot is in the past (the hijacking incident), so the dominance of the use of flashbacks is unavoidable. Effectively (even brilliantly, I might say), the story goes back and forth, the present β ββto the past, and sometimes flashbacks between flashbacks are also used. Confusing? Yes, if you’re not careful, it’s over. You pass small info, you will lose the story’s grip, and we do not know what is important and what is not. If you are careful, you will enjoy it because the plotline can consistently maintain the mystery and intensity. But usually, this kind of complicated plot ends very simply. For film connoisseurs, it’s not difficult to guess where the plot will lead. This is indeed a boomerang for the film. The novel must be much more complex than the film script.
All the Old Knives presents a typical espionage thriller through a unique way of telling with all the complexity of the plot. Technically, none of the aspects is missing. Both sets, cinematography, music, and the four main castings played at their level. Then, of course, the editing that presents cross-cutting scenes so massively arranged neatly. This film could have been special two or three decades ago, but this kind of show is now common in television series. For serious film connoisseurs, this film is a must-watch. If you’re looking for action, skip it.
tonton saya semalam sehabis tarawih.. karena nonton sambil main hape.. saya jadi ga ngeh dengan alur nya, mau nonton lg mata sudah capek..