Restless - DVD

Content: Student Ruth (Michelle Dockery) initially believes her mother has finally fallen victim to senility when Sally (Charlotte Rampling) tells her she is being persecuted, is actually named Eva Delectorskaya, and worked as a spy for British intelligence during World War II. But as Ruth reads her mother's records of how she was recruited as a young woman (Hayley Atwell) by the charismatic Lucas Romer (Rufus Sewell) and rose to become a highly successful spy, her doubts give way more and more to the certainty that her mother was telling the truth. And as Ruth delves deeper and deeper into the past, the present also becomes more and more dangerous for herself. For Eva was the victim of an intrigue during the war, whose masterminds are probably still interested in silencing her...

Restless is a very suspenseful spy thriller for long stretches, which takes place on two time levels. The frame story is set in the late 70s, while the main plot takes place during World War II. The blending of the two levels works quite well, although some elements make the story seem undercooked. For example, Ruth's young son appears from time to time, only to disappear again without a trace. Also the short scene in which his German father, played by Alexander Fehling, appears, is actually pointless for the actual story and seems to be owed only to the participation of Sat1 in the BBC production.

It is such moments that drag the two-parter unnecessarily. The tension, which is built up excellently in the first 90 minutes, can therefore not hold over the complete three hours. There are always highlights, such as Eva's mission in Holland near the German border, which excuse for a few tough moments. But especially in the second part, the lengths increase significantly and at the end it becomes clear that the film would have done very well with a 30 minutes shorter running time. No question, especially for a TV production Restless is really extremely successful and has a first-class cast. Especially Hayley Atwell (Captain America) and Charlotte Rampling, but also Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) deliver first class work. And also the visual realization is convincing, even if it can not quite keep up with big cinema productions.

Who likes exciting political thrillers and spy stories, which can therefore also safely risk a look. Because even if the weaknesses of the film are very clear, the strengths, especially in the first part, are enough to still provide viewers with entertaining and rousing entertainment. But if you're hoping to get pure suspense until the very end, you'll only be able to enjoy this two-parter to a limited extent. Nevertheless, the bottom line is still a satisfied: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: You can tell that this is a TV production and not an expensive theatrical film. There are minor flaws here and there with the sharpness of detail and contrast, causing some moments to look slightly washed out. Otherwise, though, the clean image is pleasing with very punchy colors and convincing overall sharpness. The audio has some good surround effects to offer, but could be a bit livelier, especially during moments of tension. Dialogue is mixed with good intelligibility and the music is coherent with the action. Good!

Extras: Bonus material has the DVD not to offer.

Conclusion:Restless is a first-class spy thriller, whose tension, however, by some clear lengths and a few unnecessary subplots is thwarted. A slightly tighter narrative would have done the three-hour TV two-parter a world of good. But the good performances of Hayley Atwell and Charlotte Rampling, as well as some very good moments of suspense, especially in the first part, ensure that the film adaptation of the bestseller by William Boyd has become, on balance, despite minor weaknesses absolutely worth seeing.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp