Patience Watson
One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.
Jemima
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Celia
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Khun Kru Mark
Walken at his most menacing, Nighy at his quirkiest, Ryder at her maddest and more besides...Despite the overly polished screenplay, this movie works well. The plot is a bit vague and it's not always clear who's who and why people are doing what they do, but the mighty strength of the characters make up for all of that.There are no weak links and each of the cast members manage to make the most of their onscreen time. Imagine if the CIA really did have dangerously unstable geniuses (like Christopher Walken) running the show. Maybe they do!The world is in the unsafe hands of super-rich corporate mobsters and they are drawn together to hammer out a way to launder their billions. The governments of the US and the UK are in on the ruse and want either a piece of the action, or some sort of comeuppance. The corruption rises pretty high which forces our Bond type hero (Bill Nighy) to play his cards ultra-cautiously while at the same time, reviving an old affair.It helps that the scenery of Turks & Caicos play a role, too. It's a luxury playground with natural beauty which contrasts starkly with the nefarious human interference.The pace probably handicaps this for younger viewers and the violence is implied rather than played out. But for older folk, it's a treat.Riveting stuff!
dierregi
... or "A series of fortunate events". This is part two of a trilogy about Johnny Warricker, a disgraced secret service agent, who was forced to leave England to hide from his powerful enemies. However, each movie is sort of self-standing.According to Johnny, Turks & Caicos was the destination of the first flight out of the UK, when he had to leave the country in a hurry. How lucky for him that his first choice was not a cheap flight to Bucharest or Tenerife, but the very upmarket British protectorate in the Caribbean.From the lush island, the plot unravels, following a series of circumstances that could be easily described as very improbable.First: a CIA agent passing by a beach where Johnny lounges, happens to recognize him and to ask his help for an operation. Second: the CIA operation/job/mission is about the same dirty deeds Johnny was investigating in London and that caused his downfall. Thanks to the CIA, Johnny has the chance of doing more damage. Fancy that...Third: Johnny's ex girlfriend is a high-level employee of the company the CIA is investigating and her boss readily discloses top secret information to her, just because she asked him. What are the chances?Anyhow, thanks to all these "chances" Johnny manages to cover up a murder, get back with his ex, re- distribute some dirty money, fool the CIA and move towards new adventures.Still, good entertainment for a cold Thursday night.
Gino Cox
"Turks & Caicos" seems oddly incomplete. That it is a made-for-television film and a sequel to "Page Eight," an earlier program, explains some of the gaps, but doesn't excuse them for a viewer who hasn't seen the earlier program. The limited budget associated with a television production is clearly evident. Most of the film takes place in about half a dozen locations, notably a large resort that seems largely unoccupied, a stretch of beach that seems unoccupied, and the lead character's home, which also seems unoccupied. Two scenes supposedly shot at an airport seem particularly bereft of passengers and airport personnel. There are no sweeping helicopter shots of white sandy beaches, resort hotels or palatial homes and no shots of local customs, culture or festivals. We see two local policemen, a few fishermen, a single mother with her son and a few food service employees in the background, but very little of Turks & Caicos, which seems largely unoccupied. For a resort island, it seems more desolate than secluded or pristine.The plot is sketchy at best, although much of the background story was apparently developed in "Page Eight." It revolves around unethical people in cahoots with unethical politicians engaging in deceitful accounting practices tied tenuously to recent sensational news. There are no car chases, fisticuffs, shoot-outs or on screen seductions. There are between three and five romances, but none are explored on screen. We see little beyond their aftermaths. Most of the key events occur off-screen, leaving us only a final confrontation that is difficult to follow without knowing the characters or having witnessed the various plots, subterfuges and deceptions first hand. John le Carré can spin a tale based on some obscure transaction, such as a disbursement to a supposedly dead spy. This movie tries to emulate that type of story with desk-bound analysts who can never escape the call of duty to Queen and country, but we never get close enough to the characters, the action or the setting for a truly satisfying experience. We get a dialogue-heavy story that feels like an overly long episode of a television series that we've never seen before. Despite various frustrations with the film, the final scene was affecting; however, it was intercut with a parallel scene that leaves the viewer wondering if two characters can really be that ignorant. There are a couple of brief scenes involving a rudimentary piece of communications equipment that seem to be bound by 1960s technology. Production values are modest, but adequate. Some of the dialogue is mumbled and Bill Nighy's character responds to several questions by repeating the question, at one point twice in a row. The actors do well with what they're given. The film is so obtuse that one needs to pay close attention to follow the plot, but the rewards for such close attention to detail are relatively modest in comparison. It would probably be more rewarding for a viewer who has seen "Page Eight."Solid performances, especially by Nighy, Ryder and Walken make the film watchable, but it's not a film one wants to view repeatedly to catch the subtle nuances.
studioAT
I had not seen the original Worricker film 'Page Eight' but having enjoyed Bill Nighy's work in other things I decided to give this a go.As a well crafted piece of television drama this is as good as it gets. From the tight script to the almost dream cast you don't see everyday in television drama's this is quality in amongst a schedule full of rubbish. It's a crying shame this got buried on a Thursday night on BBC 2. Nighy as ever is brilliant. If you thought you'd seen every sort of spy then watch this because Nighy is so at ease in this role. The only negative point is that if you want a big explosion heavy spy thriller then look somewhere else because this is not that. Here people talk about the state of the world, go for walks, talk a bit and then talk some more. The action is minimal. I admire many aspects of this drama but I feel that 90 minutes of build up to a very small amount of action unfufilling. I enjoyed the follow up 'Salting The Battlefield' far more.
