This is a British movie filled with British legal system jargon and mostly British actors. It would be unfathomable for this movie to have a Hollywood ending, as it is uniquely American, right? I mean, why resolve things? It's only what the audience wants. Well, this movie may give in to the American endings.
Eric Bana plays a defense attorney who must defend a man accused of participating in a significant bombing in central London. He does a really good job with his role, which I think is a bit out of character for him. His portrayal is nuanced and complete, and I find myself actually sympathizing with him at times - this couldn't possibly be the man from The Hulk.
Rebecca Hall plays the special something-or-other. Essentially, she is also a defense attorney (or attourney, this is England, after all, and they enjoy tossing in useless vowels) but she will have access to documents that are vital to national security that will be argued for or against in closed court. She's unusually normal looking for a lead female role. Normally, I would expect to see a drop-dead gorgeous woman in this kind of a role, but she's approachable. It's actually kind of nice, and it seems to underscore her acting ability, which is pretty good.
If you were to compare her looks to someone else in the movie, the only woman you could really find (aside from the brief scenes of the MI5 head played by Barbora Bobuľová) is Julia Stiles who plays a nosy American reporter. She's very pretty by most standards, but she has shown her acting abilities plenty of times before.
So, the movie has lots of political intrigue and some twists and turns, but the overarching feel is just plain paranoia over the government. It's almost laughable to think of MI5's paltry powers compared to the massive overreach of the US government. They show the many different camera angles that the government is watching everything through, and I just can't think of anything but how quaint it is that they are monitored so little.
Acting was great
Directing was very good
Story was intriguing
Dialog could have been a bit better
Cinematography was very good
3.25/5