Film

Our Kind of Traitor

Name: Our Kind of Traitor
Genre: Thriller
Released: 2016
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård, Damian Lewis, Naomie Harris, Jeremy Northam

A holiday romance spirals into espionage when a British couple becomes entangled with a mysterious Russian oligarch seeking protection. Based on John le Carré, this is contemporary spy craft—morally murky, procedurally dense, deliberately unglamorous. It's for viewers who prefer tradecraft to explosions, though the pacing sometimes tests patience.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy le Carré-style spy stories where the menace is bureaucratic and moral rather than explosive, and you like a plot that tightens around ordinary decent people caught in institutional rot.

Skip it if you want a brisk, action-led thriller; this one spends long stretches on conversation, negotiation and quiet dread, and its pleasures come slowly rather than in bursts.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a full feature of about 108 minutes that builds patiently, asking you to follow talk and motive closely rather than wait for set-piece payoffs.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy2011

le Carré's definitive Cold War novel given the same meticulous, atmospheric treatment. Gary Oldman's Smiley is a masterclass in understatement. The puzzle-box plotting rewards close attention and will haunt you days later.

But Glacially paced with a fractured timeline that demands you stay alert. If you want clear answers and forward momentum, this will frustrate you.

The Lives of Others2006

German Stasi surveillance state rendered as intimate moral tragedy. Extraordinary tension from observation alone—no car chases needed. A film about what secrets do to the people keeping them.

But Bleak and methodical, filmed in muted greys and browns. The emotional payoff is quiet and devastating rather than cathartic; some find that unsatisfying.

Bridge of Spies2015

Spielberg and le Carré together: Cold War espionage as a battle of wills and principle. Tom Hanks is superb as a man negotiating in the shadows. Intelligent and tensely crafted without showiness.

But Deliberately restrained and cerebral. If you're after thrills and action set pieces, Spielberg's taking you somewhere slower and stranger.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Our Kind of Traitor

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Slow Horses2022

Both explore the unglamorous machinery of real intelligence work—the paperwork, the politics, the compromise. Neither film nor show traffics in James Bond fantasy. Both understand that the real game is bureaucratic and psychological.

Mick Herron's adaptation of his Slough House novels starring Gary Oldman. British intelligence bureaucracy as dark comedy-thriller. It's procedurally precise, wickedly funny, and absolutely compulsive. The writing is some of the sharpest in recent television.

But Deliberately shabby and unglamorous. The main characters are often incompetent and morally compromised. If you need heroes, you'll be disappointed.

A Most Wanted Man2014

le Carré again, this one a post-9/11 hunt through Hamburg's underworld. Philip Seymour Hoffman is magnificent—exhausted, brilliant, trapped by bureaucracy. Morally complicated without easy answers.

But Hoffman's final lead role carries real weight and sadness. The ending is bleak. Some viewers find it punishing rather than rewarding.

The Constant Gardener2005

le Carré's novel about corruption in Africa, anchored by Ralph Fiennes' quiet devastation. Gorgeously shot, genuinely moving. A love story wrapped in systemic injustice.

But The first half is digressive and slow-burn. Its indictment of pharmaceutical companies and Western complicity won't feel like entertainment.

The Bourne Identity2002

Modern spy thriller that actually respects your intelligence. Matt Damon's amnesiac operative drives a taut, propulsive plot. The hand-to-hand fight sequences feel real and earned.

But It spawned a franchise that diluted everything it did well. This first one holds up, but you may want to stop before the sequels.

Spy Game2001

Robert Redford and Brad Pitt in a slick, smart riff on espionage tradecraft. Non-linear narrative, genuine humour, and old-school charisma. Lighter than le Carré but not lightweight.

But The plot mechanics show themselves if you're paying close attention. Some find it superficial compared to denser spy fiction.

The Good Shepherd2006

De Niro's epic about the birth of the CIA and the cost of loyalty. Matt Damon carries the weight beautifully. Sprawling, dense, full of moral compromise dressed as duty.

But Nearly three hours and deliberately slow. The narrative jumps in time, and some viewers find it impenetrable on first viewing.

Atomic Blonde2017

Charlize Theron as a covert operative in 1980s Berlin. Genuinely inventive action sequences and a real sense of Cold War dread beneath the neon. Stylish without being vacuous.

But The plot is deliberately thin—this is about tone and craft, not narrative intricacy. Some find the style outweighs substance.

Johnny English2003

The inverse register: where Our Kind of Traitor is sober and procedurally dense, Johnny English is anarchic and absurd. Both understand the real spy world well enough to play games with it—one seriously, one for laughs. They're mirror images of each other.

Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling MI7 agent in a film that affectionately mocks spy movie conventions while being genuinely clever about tradecraft itself. Comedy that doesn't talk down to you, with real laughs and surprising warmth.

But It's a straight comedy, not a thriller. If you want gravitas and darkness, this flip of the genre's register will feel wrong. Some find slapstick beneath the spy narrative.

The Nest2020

Both chart the collision between personal life and institutional corruption. Both suggest that loyalty is conditional and that the machinery of power grinds up the well-meaning and the guilty alike. Both are uncomfortable films about uncomfortable truths.

Jude Law in Sean Durkin's portrait of ambition and corruption in 1980s finance. Hypnotic, claustrophobic, and psychologically precise. It's about desire and self-deception in the upper echelons of power, filmed with mounting unease.

But Deliberately ugly in aesthetic and mood. The protagonist is repellent. There's no catharsis or comeuppance—it ends in compromise and quiet desperation. Bleak viewing.