All the Old Knives is a spy/love story. I have no idea what the title means. There was plenty of unneeded exposition in the story, but none that would explain the title. Thandiwe Newton and Chris Pine star. They were the reason I watched it.
All the Old Knives is written in a way that gives you bits and pieces of the story again and again from different viewpoints. It jumps about from past to present. Each new look at the past fills in more of what really happened until the end, when you may or may not trust what you learned.
Celia (Thandiwe Newton) worked for the CIA. She was stationed in Vienna when an airline hijacking occurred. The CIA was unable to do anything to save the people on the plane and 120 of them, including children, died in the incident. She still had nightmares about it.
Also working in the same office was Celia’s lover, Henry (Chris Pine). An important aspect of the plot was their relationship. They were both trained not to trust anyone, but what about someone you loved? When the mission to save the people in the plane failed, Celia ran. She left the CIA and started living a different life in California.
Eight years after the hijacking, Henry still works for the CIA. He is called in by his former boss Vick (Laurence Fishburne). They found someone who knew something about the hijacking. He said there was a mole in the office in Vienna. Henry is sent to investigate all the people who were working there at the time and find the mole.
Henry first talks to Bill (Jonathan Pryce). There was some evidence that made him look guilty, but Henry decided it wasn’t him.
Then Henry went to see his old lover, Celia. She lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea. She had a husband and two kids. They met in a gorgeous but mostly deserted wine bar and restaurant and talked for hours. Each memory, each flashback, brought a new twist, a new fact.
Even though the film was just over 100 minutes long, it felt slow. The dialog was delivered in even, measured tones. People were serious. Nobody trusted anybody. Don’t be fooled by the “spy story” label on this film. It was not a thriller – it was more cerebral.
The chemistry between Thandiwe Newton and Chris Pine was important. They cared about each other in ways that were both selfless and selfish. Feelings lingered.
The film is on Prime Video. If you watch it, I’d love to know what you thought about it.
I’ve considered watching the movie again to see if these questions were answered, if I just lost the plot, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to re-watch. But then again … maybe.
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