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Farewell is odd for a modern thriller in that, unlike most of its contemporaries, it does not feel the need to intercut itself with a series of chases, gun battles or violent deaths, instead relying simply on its narrative to achieve suspense without blowing stuff up. Therefore, it may be a bit of throwback, but this is hardly a bad thing; indeed it rather nice. But whether or not it could truly expand upon this difference is another matter.
The phrase “based on a true story” does not really mean much in films and this is one of those cases. For a start, its protagonist is not the real Agent Farewell, Vladimir Vetrov, whose name has been changed to Grigorvich (Emir Kusturica) and his character sanitised to turn him into a more likable person. Yet historical accuracy aside, it does make for a very intriguing story of Cold War spooks, double dealing and back stabbings, and centring around an individual character struggling with secrets and the fear of detection works rather well. It becomes clear that Grigorovich and his family man contact (Guillaume Canet) both have inner demons to struggle with and it is these problems that drive the film and create its tension, and they are its strong point, particularly since the two actors play their roles well. The problem is that the friendly relationship they develop does not seem very realistic, which does spoil the atmosphere of the film.
The main problems, though, lie elsewhere. Namely, the picture moves its focus away from these individuals and instead takes us into high politics with characters like Ronald Reagan (Fred Ward) and the head of the CIA (Willem Defoe), moving away from the paranoia of capture and betrayal that’s driving the film. These other scenes cannot help but feel expositional, driving the plot and emphasising the historic significance again rather than being dramatic in themselves, removing the tension that is crucial to a film like this. Furthermore, it detracts from the sense of place; as we start globe hopping, it is hard to remain focussed on the recreation of 1980s Moscow. Because of these problems, the film does not quite glue together and at times feels like separate elements telling the same story but in a jumbled fashion, whereas it could have a more claustrophobic and exciting experience.
That said however, Farewell does make for an enjoyable and perfectly watchable thriller; it simply lacks bite. The film does not build up enough tension to maintain itself and focuses too much on creating a global context and constantly going over the historical importance of an event. Yet in the end, the result is still enjoyable and a nice change from most modern thrillers.
See Farewell at City Screen, York. Check out the cinema's website for times and further details.
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