Page Eight (2011)

By Peter McGinn

I enjoyed this espionage movie a lot. It followed a major unwritten rule of spy thrillers, which is to have the hero not know who he can trust at any time, but still they kept the plot from spinning off into confusion and paranoia that feeds some espionage films. I have come to appreciate Bill Nighy’s acting more and more as I see his work. He reminds me of Mark Rylance, an actor equally skilled as the lead or in a supporting role, who doesn’t shout a lot or violently emote, but rather nails his part in the quiet, convincing moments. There is no supervillain here, no Mr. Big or Goldfinger to defeat in a climactic special effects-laden final scene. In a way, the American government is the bad guy, or even the head of the department our hero works for. I couldn’t quite decide if it irritated me that our nearly frail, nearly elderly hero could still effortlessly cause a beautiful young woman to attach herself to him, but it surprisingly (to me) remained just a flutter in the plot, not very serious in the end. I have been meaning to watch this movie for a few years and I am glad I did.