Our Kind of Traitor (2016)

A couple finds themselves lured into a Russian oligarch's plans to defect, and are soon positioned between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service, neither of whom they can trust.

Director:

Susanna White

Writers:

John le Carré (based on the novel by), Hossein Amini

Stars:

Carlos Acosta, Radivoje Bukvic, Stellan Skarsgård

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carlos Acosta	...	Ballet Dancer
Radivoje Bukvic	...	Misha (as Rasha Bukvic)
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Dima
Mariya Fomina	...	Anna (as Maria Fomina)
Dolya Gavanski	...	Olga
Grigoriy Dobrygin	...	The Prince
Velibor Topic	...	Emilio Del Oro
Pawel Szajda	...	Blue Eyed Killer
Ewan McGregor	...	Perry
Naomie Harris	...	Gail
Alec Utgoff	...	Niki
Marek Oravec	...	Andrei
Mihhail Sibul	...	Cadaverous Bodyguard
Jana Pérez	...	Maria (as Jana Perez)
Tony Tennant	...	Tattooed Naked Man

Storyline

When Perry and his wife, Gail, cross paths with the charismatic Dima on their Moroccan holiday, the forceful Russian is quick to challenge Perry to a friendly game of tennis. But this innocuous contest is not all it seems - Dima is a long-time servant of the Russian mafia, whose new boss, 'The Prince', wants him and his family dead. His only hope is to ask the unsuspecting Perry to broker him sanctuary with the British intelligence services, in return for exposing a vein of corruption that runs right to the heart of the City of London. Soon they find themselves on a tortuous journey through Paris to a safe house in the Swiss Alps and, with the might of the Russian mafia closing in, begin to realize this particular match has the highest stakes of all.

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Plot Keywords:

russian mafia | corrupt politician | teacher | interracial couple | russian mob | 

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Taglines:

Who can you trust with the truth?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language throughout, some sexuality, nudity and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Susanna White's emphasis on her delicate balancing act of action and acting impressed cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and helped to entice the Oscar and BAFTA winner for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) to come aboard the project. Mantle said: "In our original meeting Susanna made certain references to family amidst this world of violence and embezzling and financial exploitation. The bottom line for Dima (Stellan Skarsgård), one of our main characters, is that everything he does is based on what he feels is of worth in his life. This is not money or luxury apartments but his family and their future and their survival. I liked that Susanna wanted to make that a significant, underlying element. That Dima, for all his violence and historical corruption seems an incredibly likeable and adorable and enigmatic person. I think that's what's interesting about the film. I'm not the least bit interested what country you travel to, it's about how these people travel in relation to each other and their journeys, particularly Ewan's character and certainly Stellan's journey at the end."

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Goofs

Swiss license plates have the letter code of the canton on the left. In the movie they are on the right. In addition, the letter code for Bern, according to the flag on the plate, would be "BE" and not "LR".

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Quotes

Dima: Give this to your MI6. Tell them you have a gift from the number one money launderer from the Russian mafia.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of Our Kind of Traitor (2016)

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Soundtracks

Apache
Written by Jerry Lorden (as Jerry Lordan)
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd./Francis Fay & Hunter Ltd.
Performed by The Incredible Bongo Band (as Incredible Bongo Band)
Licensed courtesy of Mr. Bongo Worldwide Ltd.

User Reviews

Kind of a disappointment

I just learned that this is based on a Le Carré book. I only had read one book by him and didn't like it. I watched a mini series based on another one of his books, The night manager, and didn't like it either, so I am guessing his writing is not my cup of tea.

I loved the cinematography, very nice shots of the Alps. Stellan Skarsgård is great as a Russian mobster. I think Ewan McGregor is a superb actor, but this role is pretty weak.

The plot is very weak, and I really didn't care much for the characters. But most important, I just couldn't believe Ewan's character would do something like this.

So the premise of the movie is flawed, at least for me. A bit of a disappointment overall. I don't think things were resolved well.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

UK France

Language:

English Russian French

Release Date:

13 May 2016 (UK)

Also Known As:

Our Kind of Traitor

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$984,698, 3 July 2016

Gross USA:

$3,153,157

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,711,027

Company Credits

Production Co:

StudioCanal, Film4, Anton

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1