About The Individuals

Post 1029:

I decided to take a shot at a newish movie called The Courier, a story based on the real-life exploits of a British businessman enlisted by the CIA and MI6 to do some spying during the early 60s. This was a peak time for tension between East and West. The Cuban Missile Crisis is going on through a large chunk of the film.

It’s well directed and acted and hits all the beats. The stakes are raised consistently enough. It is a story that should be told and seen. The bravery of the Russian officer and the British businessman is noteworthy to say the least. The intelligence they passed, if the story is accurate, helped to stave off nuclear war.

So that’s a big deal.

It sucks that there has to be a few sane people about to keep the ridiculous and powerful wingnuts at the top from destroying the world with thermonuclear war, but hey, what are you gonna do?

Nobody said life was supposed to be perfect.

Let me get back to the movie. Spoilers. The world doesn’t blow up. Sorry. I’m also sorry there wasn’t a little more going on in The Courier. It was good enough and kept me mostly interested, but I have a feeling that the real story was actually a lot more rad. It seemed extremely simplified and stripped down. It could be just a personal thing; I like my spy movies to have more twists and turns and layers and double-crosses. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy this is not.

There is something chilling about that era, when people were contemplating nuclear war on the daily, living with it like an ominous and accepted presence. What a freaking drag. I mean, we still have the same crap hanging over our heads, but we worry about other things now that are way more important than petty nonsense like fallout and being instantaneously incinerated. We’ve evolved. You already knew that. It’s a whole thing.

Give The Courier a shot if you’ve got a little time. And you do. Because there are still brave and decent individuals out there that from time to time do the right things.

Cheers and see you after.