Farewell Released 29 April 2011 Director Christian Carion Starring Emir Kusturica, Guillaume Canet, Alexandra Maria Lara, Willem Dafoe, Fred Ward, Niels Arestrup, David Soul Writer(s) Christian Carion, Eric Raynaud Producer(s) Philippe Boeffard, Bertrand Faivre, Christophe Rossignon Origin France Running Time 113 minutes Genre Thriller Rating 12A

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The spy who stayed in the Cold.

On first inspection this appears to be an odd duck of a movie. It’s a 2009 French film finally getting a release over here, two years later. The two leads are better known as directors. There’s the award-winning but controversial Serbian Emir Kusturica and actor/director Guillaume Canet, France’s answer to Ryan Gosling, who made a big impression with Tell No One a few years back.

Granted, there’s top quality Euro support in the shape of Alexandra Maria Lara (Downfall) and Niels Arestrup (A Prophet). Then there’s the presence of three grizzled American character actors in Willem Dafoe, Fred Ward and, yikes, David Soul? What is this, some sort of desperate Euro-pudding that was so prevalent in the ‘80s? Actually it’s anything but. It’s an excellent spy thriller that was well worth the wait.

It’s loosely based on the true story of Valdamir Vetrov, a top KGB spy who decided to leak hugely important information to the French secret service in the early to mid eighties during the height of the Cold War. Emir Kusturica plays Sergei Grigoriev, the character based on Vetrov. Not trusting the CIA’s network, he insists on dealing only with the French secret service and only through a French businessman (Guillaume Canet). Pierre just happens to be working in Moscow and is a complete amateur who only makes the initial contact as a favour for his boss. But Sergei takes a liking to him and so insists that he remain his only contact. The French give him the codename “Farewell”.

Sergei is far from your normal double agent though as he operates with a near suicidal level of casualness. At one point he merrily lobs two files of hugely sensitive information into a bag and casually tells Pierre to have them copied. He doesn’t have the normal motivations either, turning down all offers of money bar the odd present like a bottle of French brandy or some Queen cassettes for his son. He doesn’t want to defect to the West as he’s something of an idealist, believing he can save his country and the dream of communism by collapsing the corrupt system. He sums it up beautifully nonchalantly when he says, “I like Moscow, it’s cheap.”

Meanwhile in the White House, President Reagan (Fred Ward) isn’t happy with newly elected French president Francois Mitterrand (Olivier Mangan) and his plans to have communist ministers in his cabinet. Mitterrand receives the initial documents from Sergei from his head of intelligence (Niels Arestrup) and knowing how valuable the information is, uses it as a bartering chip to get the Americans to butt out of French affairs.

Sergei and Pierre slowly build up a trusting relationship and the spy educates the businessman on how to work the Soviet surveillance system to his advantage. However their actions take their toll on both their domestic lives. Pierre has problems with his wife (Alexandra Maria Lara) who is understandably worried that his actions will endanger their lives. Meanwhile Sergei, under the impression that his wife is having an affair, takes a mistress himself with disastrous consequences. As the pressure builds Sergei’s behaviour becomes more reckless and suspicions are raised within the KGB.

This is a terrific old-school spy thriller. Don’t be thinking James Bond, more the grim, cold-war paranoia of The Ipcress File. Director Christian Carion handles the narrative superbly nicely building up the tension and suspense to a genuinely nerve-tingling finish.

It’s the performances that make the film though. Canet is excellent as Pierre, who’s in way over his head but desperately tries to keep doing the right thing. There’s great support from Alexandra Maria Lara, Niels Arestrup and Willem Dafoe as the head of the CIA. Fred Ward makes a game effort at capturing Ronald Reagan too. However the undoubted star of the show is Emir Kusturica. With his tall, stooping gait and a forehead that makes him look like a Klingon, he makes an unlikely leading man. But with his natural world-weariness and subtle charm, he makes Sergei hugely sympathetic and endearing.

There is a slightly unnecessary and confusing “twist” at the end, however it’s a minor quibble as this is a little gem of a film that you should make it your business to seek out.

- Jim O’Connor