The first time we see Joan Stanley (Judi Dench) she is pruning her bush. Garden shrub, not lady flower. Initial thoughts: unassuming widow more into liquorice and laces than liquor and lace.

The last time we see her she has moved but a yard to her suburban doorstep towards which a group of men in long coats are flashing. Press bulbs, not crown jewels. Final thoughts: is she a traitor to her country or a heroine who broke the Official Secrets Act for the greater good?

The decision, as Cilla Black used to say on Blind Date, is yours.

Based on the novel of the same name by Jennie Rooney about the civil servant-turned-uncivil “granny spy” for the KGB Melita Norwood, Lindsay Shapero’s screenplay as directed by Trevor Nunn switches back and forth in time and place so often that it dilutes the dramatic tension and robs the viewer of Dench’s star turn as she wrestles with her conscience before wilting under the interrogation of two characterless cops and her lawyer son (Ben Miles).

The younger Joan (Sophie Cookson) is initially played like a pawn by a group of student Communists. One of whom she falls in love with (Tom Hughes). And though her pacifist beliefs are at odds to his growing support for war, she nonetheless continues to share classified information about atomic weapons from her boss-turned-lover (Stephen Campbell Moore) in the hope that it will create a long-term standoff between East and West.

So far so good. So bad we’ve been Trumped!

Every scene involving Dench lures you in like a reel. It’s just a pity that her character’s inner conflict and fractured relationship with her son – which are by far the more interesting aspects of the movie – play second fiddle to her youthful affairs in the corridors and bedchambers of power. Both of which are teasing but tame.

There’s enough spark in the performances to hold the attention; just not enough in the screenplay for it to burn in your mind.

Director: Trevor Nunn
Writer: Lindsay Shapero
Stars: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore
Peter Callaghan
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