Page Eight (2011)

Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the... See full summary »

Director:

David Hare

Writer:

David Hare

Stars:

Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Tom Hughes

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Nighy	...	Johnny Worricker
Rachel Weisz	...	Nancy Pierpan
Tom Hughes	...	Ralph Wilson
Michael Gambon	...	Benedict Baron
Judy Davis	...	Jill Tankard
Rakhee Thakrar	...	Muna Hammami
Saskia Reeves	...	Anthea Catcheside
Ewen Bremner	...	Rollo Maverley
Felicity Jones	...	Julianne Worricker
Richard Lintern	...	Max Vallance
Holly Aird	...	Anna Hervé
Andrew Cleaver	...	Brian Lord
Kate Burdette	...	Allegra Betts
Ralph Fiennes	...	Alec Beasley
Alice Krige	...	Emma Baron

Storyline

Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny's striking next-door neighbor and political activist Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz) seems too good to be true. Johnny is forced to walk out of his job, and then out of his identity to find out the truth. Set in London and Cambridge, PAGE EIGHT is a contemporary spy film for the BBC, which addresses intelligence issues and moral dilemmas peculiar to the new century.

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Plot Keywords:

mi5 | spy | political thriller | blackmail | prime minister | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Worricker Trilogy

Filming Locations:

Chelsea Embankment, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heyday Films, Runaway Fridge TV, Carnival Film & Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer/director David Hare has told some associates that if Page 8 works, he might bring Bill Nighy's character Johnny Worricker back, as part of a trilogy of TV films.

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Goofs

The airport departure board shows long-haul destinations with flight numbers for EasyJet and Ryanair. For instance, EZY215 is shown as a flight to Santiago, while in reality, it is a Stansted to Glasgow flight.

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Quotes

Nancy Pierpan: When you don't know the truth everything freezes and you can't move on.

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Connections

Featured in The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (2012)

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Soundtracks

Fine and Mellow
written by Billie Holiday
Used by kind permission of Carlin Music Corp
Performance of Billie Holiday used with permission as presented

User Reviews

Excellent spy drama in a post 9-11 world

Hard on the heels of a complete dud ('Glorious 39'), Bill Nighe stars in a worthy, modern successor of John le Carre's seventies cold war dramas.

If you prefer action, noise and explosions, you won't like this film. If you prefer drama to confirm your own political convictions, you won't necessarily like this film. If you prefer complex plots that make you sit on the edge of your seat, good acting and atmosphere, you will probably like this film.

The script is sharp, believable and occasionally witty, even if not all the threads are followed to their logical conclusion. Michael Gambon is a cryptic spy master with sense of irony that seems to borrow from his stage successes in Pinter and Beckett. Bill Nighe plays his character with a varying mixture of quick-wittedness, weariness and vulnerability. What little music there is matches his character's personality perfectly. The cinematography is gray and unexciting but very appropriate for the plot. The ending both satisfies and leaves one want for more.

Bring on the sequel!