12 Apr All the Old Knives Review

ALL THE OLD KNIVES
dir. Janus Metz Pedersen, starring Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Jonathan Pryce, and Lawrence Fishburne

All the Old Knives, a spy thriller based on the eponymous novel, follows two different narratives: a 2012 plane hijacking by Islamic terrorists and an organization within the CIA dedicated to resolving it, and a present day story where a member of that organization is reinvestigating the incident to discover the mole planted in their office.

As far as spy thrillers go, All the Old Knives is a worthy enough entry into the subgenre. Slightly reminiscent of 1987s No Way Out, the story takes a number of twists and turns, with reveals right up until the end credits. While the story itself is a mediocre, run-of-the-mill spy story, the performances and the steady direction from Januz Metz Pedersen save the film from the edge of mediocrity. Attempting to find the mole is nothing new in spy stories, but All the Old Knives finds an interesting way of presenting the trope by basing its key elements in one fixed setting, a nearly empty upscale restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. While the flashbacks and retreads are interspersed throughout, the clever storytelling stays centered on current CIA agent Henry Pelham and former agent Celia Harrison as they play their cat-and-mouse game over the course of dinner (and many, many glasses of wine). At 101 minutes, the film’s steady pace, handling of information, and one giant unanswered lingering question should be enough to entice any fan of the slow burn spy genre.

Starring Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton, All the Old Knives lives and dies by the chemistry of the two leads. Possibly the greatest strength of the film, Pine and Newton completely sell the idea of a former couple reunited under less than ordinary circumstances. Chris Pine continues to diversify his acting portfolio, delivering a charming, layered Henry Pelham, gently interrogating a former lover over a tragic event that happened during their time together. Completely relaxed and in charge, Pine’s Pelham is in almost every scene of the film, be it in flashbacks or present day. An actor that seems perfectly suited to lead a slow burn spy thriller, it’s unfortunate that the material doesn’t quite fully serve Pine’s talents and it’s doubly unfortunate that his forays into this type of story (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) haven’t been more successful. There’s a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy somewhere in Pine’s career waiting to get out.

Thandiwe Newton matches, and at times eclipses, Pine as retired CIA agent Celia Harrison. While Henry Pelham is the film’s calculated and logical push, Newton’s Harrison is the emotional throughline of the story. She benefits most from the nonlinear storytelling, giving her character a richer foundation to build upon. Her scenes with Pine are electric, crackling with both restrained emotion and unbridled passion. The key to the entire film, Newton more than holds her own over the course of the evening Harrison spends with Pelham. Confident, assertive, coy, and sorrowful, Harrison is a character we’ve seen Newton play a dozen times but each delivery is a delight to behold.

Known more for his documentary work than feature films, director Janus Metz Pedersen handles All the Old Knives with a workmanlike air; there’s nothing overly flashy or bombastic here. Preferring substance to style, Pedersen lets the story take the lead and uses efficient, competent framework to give the actors the leverage to do their thing. Choosing to manipulate time and telling the story out of sequence to hide the film’s reveals is a clever choice by Pedersen and screenwriter Olen Steinhauer (who also wrote the novel the film is based on). Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen (Fences, Molly’s Game, A Quiet Place) lends an amazing eye as well, giving the dinner scenes between Henry and Celia a warm, intimate feel distinctly different from the rest of the movie. Even when the dialogue stumbles at times, or crosses over into schmaltzy or cliché, Pedersen and Christensen are there to save the scene.

Overall, All the Old Knives is an entertaining, quick paced film reminiscent of thrillers from the 1990s. Pedersen’s steady direction, combined with Christensen’s impressive cinematography and solid turns from the lead actors, makes this one of the more slept on movies to be released this year. The perfect type of film to watch on a weekday after work is finished and the kids are in bed, the story is engrossing enough to keep the audience engaged while watching, if not forgettable soon after. All the Old Knives is playing in limited theaters and streaming on Amazon Prime.

Review by Darryl Mansel