The Courier (2019 film)

Last updated
The Courier
The Courier poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byZackary Adler
Written by
Produced by
  • James Edward Barker
  • Marc Goldberg
  • David Haring
Starring
Cinematography Michel Abramowicz
Edited byNick McCahearty
Music by
Production
companies
  • Grindstone Entertainment Group
  • Capstone Pictures
  • Signature Entertainment
  • Rollercoaster Angel Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
  • November 22, 2019 (2019-11-22)(United States)
  • December 20, 2019 (2019-12-20)(United Kingdom)
Running time
97 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4.7 Million [2]

The Courier is a 2019 action thriller film [3] directed by Zackary Adler, from a screenplay by Andy Conway and Nicky Tate. It stars Olga Kurylenko, Gary Oldman, Amit Shah, Alicia Agneson, Greg Orvis, Craig Conway, William Moseley and Dermot Mulroney.

Contents

The film was released in the United States on November 22, 2019, by Lionsgate and in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2019, by Signature Entertainment.

Plot

Ezekiel Mannings, a wealthy businessman and notorious crime lord who is under house arrest in New York, seeks the elimination of Nick Murch, the only witness who can tie him to a murder. Murch is sequestered in a heavily guarded safe room in London in order to give evidence against Mannings over a video link to the United States. An unnamed female courier and former special ops soldier delivers a package to the safe room, unaware that the package contains a cyanide gas weapon intended to kill Nick. She rescues Nick from the attack and discovers that his protection detail has been compromised. The two are trapped in an underground parking garage full of heavily armed men who have been sent to finish the job. The assassins have an hour to find and kill Nick and the courier before police backup arrives, but she kills all of them in a brutal battle and transports a gravely wounded Nick to a hospital. He survives to testify against Mannings.

Cast

Production

In October 2018, it was announced Olga Kurylenko would star in the film, with Zackary Adler directing from a screenplay by Zackary Adler, James Edward Barker, Andy Conway and Nicky Tate, with Marc Goldberg and James Edward Barker producing under their Signature Films and Rollercoaster Angel Productions banner, respectively. [4]

In January 2019, Gary Oldman joined the cast of the film. [5] In February 2019, Dermot Mulroney, William Moseley, Amit Shah, Alicia Agneson and Craig Conway joined the cast of the film. [6]

Principal photography began in February 2019. [7]

Release

The Courier was released in the United States on November 22, 2019, by Lionsgate [8] and in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2019, by Signature Entertainment. [9]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 5% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 2.8/10. [10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 15 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". [11]

A scathing Rex Reed in the Observer named Oldman's performance the worst of his career, and said, "In the moronic thriller The Courier, nothing works on any level, but most of all where it matters most—a script that makes sense." [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Léon: The Professional</i> 1994 film by Luc Besson

Léon: The Professional is a 1994 English-language French action-thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno and Gary Oldman, and features the film debut of Natalie Portman. The plot centers on Léon (Reno), a professional hitman who reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda Lando (Portman) after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade. The film was released in France by Gaumont through Gaumont Buena Vista International on 14 September 1994 and received mostly positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Oldman</span> English actor (born 1958)

Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three British Academy Film Awards, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. His films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Keener</span> American actress (born 1959)

Catherine Ann Keener is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for Being John Malkovich (1999) and for her portrayal of author Harper Lee in Capote (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermot Mulroney</span> American actor (b. 1963)

Dermot Patrick Mulroney is an American actor and cellist. He is known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films.

<i>Romeo Is Bleeding</i> 1993 film

Romeo Is Bleeding is a 1993 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Peter Medak, written and produced by Hilary Henkin, and starring Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis, and Roy Scheider. It follows a psychosexual cat-and-mouse game between a corrupt cop (Oldman), and a ruthless mob assassin (Olin) who begins to unravel his carefully constructed double life. The film's title was taken from a song by Tom Waits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Moseley (actor)</span> British actor (born 1987)

William Peter Moseley is an English actor. He is known for his portrayal of the fictional character Peter Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia (2005–2010) trilogy, which won him a Kids' Choice Award, in addition to nominations for a Saturn Award and a Young Artist Award. He also played Prince Liam in the E! series The Royals (2015–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Grillo</span> American actor

Frank Anthony Grillo is an American actor. He is known for playing Brock Rumlow / Crossbones in three superhero films and one series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sergeant Leo Barnes in two action-horror films within The Purge franchise. He has also appeared in Warrior (2011), The Grey (2012), End of Watch (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Wolf Warrior 2 and Wheelman, and Boss Level (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Kurylenko</span> Ukrainian-born French actress (born 1979)

Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko is an actress known and gained recognition for playing Bond girl Camille Montes in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008) and Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster in the superhero films Black Widow (2021) and the upcoming Thunderbolts* (2025).

<i>The November Man</i> 2014 spy thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson

The November Man is a 2014 spy action thriller film based on the novel There Are No Spies by Bill Granger, which is the seventh installment in The November Man novel series, published in 1987. A British-American production, it stars Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey and Olga Kurylenko, with Bill Smitrovich and Will Patton also appearing, with the screenplay written by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek. The film is directed by Roger Donaldson, who previously worked with Brosnan on Dante's Peak. The film was released on August 27, 2014 in the United States.

Tim Despic is a Canadian-born London-based British composer. His style of composition has been described as ‘moody and evocative’.

<i>Momentum</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Stephen Campanelli

Momentum is a 2015 action thriller film directed by Stephen Campanelli, and starring Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman and James Purefoy. A high tech thief is pursued by mysterious government agents.

<i>Hunter Killer</i> (film) 2018 film by Donovan Marsh

Hunter Killer is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by Donovan Marsh, written by Arne Schmidt and Jamie Moss, and based on the 2012 novel Firing Point by Don Keith and George Wallace. The film stars Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman with Michael Nyqvist, Common, Linda Cardellini and Toby Stephens in supporting roles, and follows a submarine crew and a group of United States Navy SEALs who rescue the captured Russian President from a coup.

<i>The Hitmans Bodyguard</i> 2017 film directed by Patrick Hughes

The Hitman's Bodyguard is a 2017 action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor. It stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson with Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek. In the film, Michael Bryce (Reynolds) must protect Darius Kincaid, an imprisoned hitman (Jackson), who is on his way to testify at the International Criminal Court against a sadistic Eastern European dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Oldman).

<i>Sin</i> (2003 film) 2003 film

Sin is a 2003 American crime thriller film directed by Michael Stevens. It stars Gary Oldman and Ving Rhames, with a supporting cast including Kerry Washington, Alicia Coppola and Chris Spencer. The film, which was released direct-to-video, has been censured by Oldman.

<i>Killers Anonymous</i> 2019 American film

Killers Anonymous is a 2019 American crime thriller film, directed by Martin Owen, from a screenplay by Owen, Elizabeth Morris and Seth Johnson. It stars Tommy Flanagan, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Jessica Alba, Gary Oldman, MyAnna Buring, Michael Socha, Tim McInnerny and Sam Hazeldine. It was released on June 28, 2019, by Lionsgate.

Signature Entertainment is a British film distribution and film production company founded in 2011 in the UK.

High Heat is a 2022 action film directed by Zach Golden with a screenplay written by James Pedersen. The film stars Olga Kurylenko and Don Johnson. The film was released on December 16, 2022, both in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Gino J.H. McKoy is a Trinidadian-born Canadian film director, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter.

<i>Chief of Station</i> (film) 2024 film by Jesse V. Johnson

Chief of Station is a 2024 American action thriller film written by George Mahaffey, directed by Jesse V. Johnson and starring Aaron Eckhart, Olga Kurylenko, Alex Pettyfer, Daniel Bernhardt, Chris Petrovski, Nick Moran, Kris Johnson, and James Faulkner. It was released on May 3, 2024.

Paradox Effect is a 2023 American action film written by Samuel Bartlett, Andrea Iervolino and Ferdinando Dell'Omo, directed by Scott Weintrob and starring Olga Kurylenko, Harvey Keitel and Alice Astons.

References

  1. "The Courier". Lionsgate. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  2. "The Courier (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb . Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  3. "Olga Kurylenko to Star in Female-Led Action Thriller 'The Courier'". Variety . 30 October 2018.
  4. Clarke, Stewart (October 30, 2018). "Olga Kurylenko to Star in Female-Led Action Thriller 'The Courier'". Variety . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. Ritman, Alex (January 15, 2019). "Gary Oldman Joins Action-Thriller 'The Courier'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  6. Tartaglione, Nancy (February 11, 2019). "'The Courier': Dermot Mulroney & More Join Gary Oldman, Olga Kurylenko In UK Indie". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  7. Grater, Tom (February 11, 2019). "Dermot Mulroney joins Olga Kurylenko, Gary Oldman in UK action thriller 'The Courier'". Screen International . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  8. Goldberg, Matt (October 10, 2019). "Exclusive: 'The Courier' Trailer Teases a Real-Time Thriller with Gary Oldman and Olga Kurylenko". Collider . Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  9. "The Courier". Launching Films. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  10. "The Courier (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  11. "The Courier" . Retrieved 19 May 2020 via www.metacritic.com.
  12. Reed, Rex (November 21, 2019). "In 'The Courier', Gary Oldman Gives the Worst Performance of His Career". Observer . Retrieved November 23, 2019.