Making its World Premiere at the EIFF 2011, Page Eight may be about the world where politics and security are inextricably intwined but the strengths of the film lie in the electric back-and-for scenes of dialogue littered with just as much humour as tension. It's not exactly a satire per se but more a case of being savvy to the ins and outs of politics and drawing sardonic laughs from it.
Page Eight follows Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy), a long serving information analyser for MI5 who one day is given a document from his oldest friend, and now superior, Baron (Michael Gambon), the contents of which have particularly serious ramifications if the information is true. The particularly damaging piece of info is located on the titular page eight of the document, at the bottom of which is a statement which asserts (possible SPOILER ahead) that the British Government - namely the Prime Minister himself - had known about various incidences and locations of torture camps set up by the American government.
What makes Page Eight work so well, alongside the spectacularly well written dialogue which makes up those aforementioned back-and-forth scenes, is Bill Nighy. Always a joy to watch whether he's doing comedy or drama (sometimes both, as is the case here), Nighy is perfectly cast as the quietly charismatic and sympathetic Johnny who is our link to this secretive, complex world of politics and national security.
The film only hints at the larger picture of what the implications of this crucial document are, and perhaps a broader scope could have made this a truly important film about the current political situation in both the UK and US. But instead - and this was probably the right route to take in order to make it overall more enjoyable - it chooses to tell a more intimate tale with a well observed character study at its centre.
Article comments
1 - Lee
My two word review; 'nothing happens.'
I thought it was a very slow opening episode of a series...but I was mistaken; it was merely the most boring ninety minutes of drama I've ever seen. I kept on watching just to see if something would happen - but it didn't.