A simple and effective spy thriller. I appreciate the low frills approach with solid acting and precise cinematography. The whole way through I was never quite on the edge of my seat, but also never bored. It feels more mature or "grown up". I also really like the idea of a kind of power couple that, even in the field of work where they have to be suspicious about everything, are able to put complete faith and trust in each other.
Loyalty is hot.
Marvel's poster child has fallen in line with the rest of their post-Endgame slop. The Winter Soldier was one of, if not the most acclaimed Marvel movie up to that point, and Civil War was even treated as its own pseudo Avengers film. This entry is boring, devoid of the intrigue, characters, character interactions, or memorable moments from any of those films. I can't even really evaluate (or blame) Mackie for his performance or charisma, because the film gives him…
Watched the 30 minute reconstruction from the Australian National Film & Sound Archive.
Every time I see something like this, I'm reminded of Stroheim's Greed. A film that could be great, but we may not ever know to the full extent. This seemed like a pretty good early silent film with the ~25% of archived film being in good condition, other than a few segments with terrible burns/ chemical damage. Australia's early contribution to the Western genre and feature length films.
