Film Review: ‘All the Old Knives’: When Spies Mix Business With Love

R | 1hr 52min | Espionage Thriller, Drama | April 8, 2022

Leading man Chris Pine’s on fire this month, with “The Contractor” and “All the Old Knives” currently in theaters. In “Contractor” he’s a soldier, and in “Knives” he’s a spy. Too bad he didn’t have two more movies out, playing a tinker and a tailor; that would be a neat haul.

Celia Harrison (Thandiwe Newton) and Henry Pelham (Chris Pine) are CIA operatives and ex-lovers, in the secret-agent thriller "All the Old Knives." Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios

What Happens

Eight years ago, the terrible airline hijacking of Royal Jordanian flight 127 in Vienna by Islamic terrorists from Chechnya killed more than 100 passengers and crew members aboard a grounded jetliner.

The movie opens with the CIA just having learned from one of the former terrorists that the attack was due to a mole in the Viennese station, who sabotaged the rescue attempts. Since the entire affair had naturally resulted in a major political embarrassment for the United States’ top intelligence agency at the time, the matter needs resolving.

Victor Wallinger (Laurence Fishburne) is the CIA head of Vienna station, in  "All the Old Knives." Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios

Henry Pelham (Pine) is brought in by Vienna station boss Victor Wallinger (Laurence Fishburne), who sends him to investigate two of his former colleagues. If this was “Apocalypse Now,” Pelham would be encouraged (if his interrogation does indeed turn up an office mole) to “terminate with extreme prejudice.”

Henry Pelham (Chris Pine) is a CIA operative investigating old colleagues, in the secret-agent thriller "All the Old Knives." Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios

However, one of the upcoming interrogations happens to be Celia Harrison (Thandiwe Newton), Henry’s not-so-secret former lover and his CIA colleague and fellow operative. Their relationship was destroyed in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack. The boss calls into question Henry’s ability to tie up this particular loose end, should it come to that.

Flying Around, Doing Interviews

There are many flashbacks, coinciding with a bunch of current jet-setting: London, Moscow, Washington, Vienna, and Carmel, California. But first up, Henry confronts his former superior, Bill Compton (Jonathan Pryce), in a London pub. Compton’s aghast to have his loyalty and integrity called on the carpet, but while his story appears to check out, it also raises a red flag or two.

Bill Compton (Jonathan Pryce) is a former senior spook at the CIA Vienna station, in "All the Old Knives." Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios

Then, in California, Henry and Celia chat about old times over a leisurely four-course meal at an upscale, cliff-top wine restaurant in Carmel by the Sea. Their reminiscing is reminiscent of Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne”:

“We drank a toast to innocence We drank a toast to now And tried to reach beyond the emptiness But neither one knew how

“She said she'd married her an architect Who kept her warm and safe and dry She would’ve liked to say she loved the man But she didn’t like to lie.”

But when all is said and done, what’s at stake is not a reunion but a deadly investigation, and things gradually get more measured and calculated. It’s always impressive, the memory for details and subtleties that former spies are still in command of. But one eventually begins to wonder, who’s investigating who here?

Celia Harrison (Thandiwe Newton) is a former CIA analyst, in the secret-agent thriller "All the Old Knives." Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios

All in All

While on the surface of it, “All the Old Knives” is a thriller-whodunit, there’s very little James Bond-ness. The movie spends so much time examining the state of Henry and Celia’s romance before, during, and after the incident that it’s effectively a tragic romance, and it succeeds as such because of the potent chemistry between Pine and Newton. This is some of Newton’s best work yet, and Pine has grown a world-weariness in both “The Contractor” and “All the Old Knives” that is starting to nudge him toward Cary Grant territory.

Why their affair ended is the main topic of the film, and when the answer is finally revealed, it’s really not so much shocking (it’s maybe slightly shocking for non-spies) as it is tragic. What’s truly shocking is the concept of how love could end up being responsible for a massive number of deaths. In a nutshell, “All the Old Knives” is a prime example of why it’s never a good idea for fellow CIA agents to fall head over heels in love.

Movie poster for "All the Old Knives."

‘All the Old Knives’ Director: Janus Metz Pedersen Starring: Chris Pine, Thandie Newton, Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Pryce MPAA Rating: R Release Date: April 8, 2022 Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars