A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.
The thread of black humour that runs throughout the film compensates for its occasional moments of madness. It's a film just silly enough to be taken deadly seriously.
– Dave Calhoun,
Time Out,
15 Apr 2010
rotten:
The result is a political thriller refreshingly long on grown-up dialogue yet lamentably shy on, well, thrills. This chatty thing does go on.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
5 Mar 2010
fresh:
The swirl of visual poetry, political intrigue and personal zeal that Polanski creates gets under your skin and brings an icy hand up your back. This is moviemaking.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
5 Mar 2010
fresh:
Polanski is in total command of his medium, something that hasn't been a sure thing since the 1970s, The Pianist notwithstanding.
– Peter Howell,
Toronto Star,
5 Mar 2010
fresh:
So elegant, so deliciously scary, so masterfully controlled that you feel tingles of bliss even as your skin crawls.