Rather dull. Slow...good cast, though.

Page Eight is a disappointing talky, thriller that is still worth the time of any intelligent film goer who laments that complex films about ideas are not in theaters anymore and wind up on PBS Masterpiece Theater. It's worth seeing for wonderful dialogue by one of Britain's best living playwrights, David Hare (in his directing debut) and superb cast, all at the height of their powers (hence my disappointment of the overall effect of the film.) Bill Nighy's deadpan, minimalist performance as a burned out spy is searingly memorable, as it that of Michael Gambon, as the current MI5 director. Rachel Weisz acquits herself well, but has few acting challenges as a publisher from a politically active mourning her murdered brother and wanting answers. Judy David chews scenery as a hard core opportunistic M15 rival of NIghy's. We are in 2011, but this film feels dated, and would have been timely for a early Bush/Blair era thriller circa 2003. Ralph Fiennes plays a Blair type weasel-y prime minister in one and a half scenes. The dialogue and relationships are more interesting than the international espionage intrigue and most of the those twists can be spotted a mile away. We've been there, done that, particularly in the more entertaining and surprising Ghost Writer, the Roman Polanski vehicle for Ewan Macgregor and Pierce Brosnan (The Blair of that film). Hare directs well, and the film is visually appealing - if a bit static. There is zero action and if you require that, stay away. Polanski's film looks like Michael Bay's transformers next to this one. Rent it if you need to spend time with great actors and use your brain, and can live with the knee jerk anti-Americanism and obviousness of its content.