I wonder if this film came out about this time of year, closer to Oscar season, that we would see a nomination for Helen Mirren. She’s so good in this but because this film came out earlier this year, it will inevitably be forgotten. In addition to Mirren’s awesome work, Ryan Reynolds comes out of nowhere (sure he’s in everything these days but I mean that he is so surprising) to do some of the best work I’ve ever seen him do. Long gone are the wisecracks and awkward pauses and in it’s a place, an honest to goodness unique character.
The story is engaging enough on its own but the overtones to Nazi occupation of Austria, ramifications of World War II, and the gripping flashbacks to 1941 really take this film up a notch. I feel like this fell off most people’s radars and it’s worth seeking out. It’s good.