djmmccorkell

First off, let me say that Carey Mulligan was simply superb in this. I know lots of people outside the UK have called her a breakthrough actress. But as a Britisher who has seen her in many other things I'd say this is as as good as she has given.

Playing the role of a young girl she gives the character maturity but also the naivety that the character demands. For an adult actor to walk the line and create a character that is both a child and a woman must take incredible skill, but Mulligan pulls it off flawlessly.

The film as a whole touches on many aspects of British life, some of which are as relevant today as they were back in the time. We see the foundations of the culture of greed that has dominated our politic.

In summary: What seems like a cute romance movie is a documentary of our time.

First off, don't be fooled by the movie poster and trailers. This isn't a Bourne-style spy thriller full of breaking limbs and shoot-outs.

It's the story of a man (Clooney) who has been so devoted to his career of choice for so long, who is finally realizing that there's more to life.

In many ways it parallels the story of Clooney's work, Up In The Air, from a few years prior. A man who symbolizes all the most masculine aspects of personality (single-minded, driven, arrogant) realizing in middle-age that something is missing.

That said, there still is an OK spy thriller underlying this. It's not Bourne; it's much more in the style of the slow-paced spy thrillers of the 60s/70s. It lacks the twists and turns of the genre, but that's only because this isn't really a genre film - it's a story of mid-life crisis that just happens to involve spies.

Visually, it's a beautiful film. From the scenery to the slow pacing that always allows each scene that little extra moment for the actors to do their work, it's quite compelling.

But it just needed a little ...something to make it as good as it should have been. The character depth just wasn't quite there; the underlying spy plot just wasn't intriguing enough.

In summary, it does a lot of things right but just doesn't do enough to elevate itself from watchable to must-see.

The core story, a young teacher with a disassociated husband, falling in love with one of her pupils is sound. Despite some lurid aspects to the first act, the subject it approached very well.

The turning point comes in a brief scene mid-movie between the husband and the young lover, where it's revealed that the husband knows all the comings and goings of his wife. It's a beautiful piece of cinema - the confrontation between a man and a boy who thinks he's a man.

After that point, what was a sensitive coming-of-age movie goes downhill fast. There's an awkward moment between the lead and a minor character that probably gained the movie more controversy than it was worth. After that, nothing of interest.