Atmospheric drama with twists and turns

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2015)

A dark and brooding tale about Soviet Russia circa 1953 with outstanding performances by Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Fares Fares, and Joel Kinnaman. The direction is taut and the production values make you feel as if you are in Russia. Few films have conveyed the despair, depression, and paranoia of this era, yet the film itself is so much more.
Fans of Tom Hardy (and who isn't) will find this film is another in a line of marvelous characters. Fans of Noomi Rapace will find her disappearing into the character while capturing the Russian persona to perfection.
Among my favorite actors - Gary Oldman does a good job but he is only in a few scenes. Charles Dance similarly does a good job, but he has only one brief cameo at the end. And Vincent Cassel is ominous but also has only a few scenes.