The Conspiracy - DVD

Content: For many years Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) has been working for the British domestic intelligence service MI5. Together with his best friend and superior Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) he has uncovered quite a few conspiracies. But the documents that Benedict hands him one day surprise even a professional like Johnny in their explosiveness. Because if the content of these documents would ever get to the public, this could not only cause MI5, but especially the Prime Minister considerable damage, which he of course wants to prevent at all costs. When Benedict unexpectedly dies of a heart attack, Johnny suddenly finds himself alone in the investigation. Not only from his colleague Jill Tankard (Judy Davis) Johny receives strong headwind. At the same time, Johnny meets his neighbor, political activist Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz), with whom he quickly develops a close relationship. But is her sudden interest in the older man really just a coincidence?

For The Conspiracy, acclaimed screenwriter David Hare (The Reader) has once again taken a seat in the director's chair himself after many years. With a top-notch ensemble of actors, led confidently by the wonderful Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Hare has directed an old-fashioned political thriller in the best sense of the word. He has largely eschewed fast-paced action. Instead, he focuses instead on the characters and the structure of the somewhat complex story. Johnny Worricker isn't a snappy action hero, but a brilliant old-school strategist who confronts his adversaries with charm and smarts. This may seem a bit dusty in times of super agents like Bourne and Co., but works very well overall due to the well-chosen actors and the atmospheric production.

While the story itself is exciting in a certain way, it is thematically interesting and quite explosive. Also its composition of different set pieces, which includes not only the titular conspiracy, but also Worricker's private life and Nancy's tragic background, ensures that this BBC production never really gets boring. But really gripping tension is hardly created here. The production comes across as too unexciting, too many quiet character moments dominate the running time, so that at the end you are not really left with the feeling of having seen a tangible thriller.

You should be prepared for this, because with the wrong expectations the qualities of the film could perhaps be overlooked. But if you're prepared for a drama spiced up with some dry humour and based on nothing more than the basic framework of a political thriller, you'll be treated to a good story and a first-rate ensemble of actors, which then makes this home cinema premiere absolutely worth watching!

Picture + Sound:The picture is primarily in sombre tones, which help to emphasise the atmosphere of the story. Image sharpness is at a good to very good level in most moments, though there are slight weaknesses to be noted in some detail, particularly in darker moments. The sound, which in contrast to the English stereo mix is available in German as a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, lets the dialogue sound well understandable from the speakers, but otherwise has little spectacular to offer. Very occasionally, smaller sound effects and ambient noises provide a little movement in the surround area. Overall, however, the differences from the stereo mix of the English soundtrack are only marginal.

Extras: In the bonus material, interested viewers will find three short documentaries on the plot (approx. 5 min.), on the individual characters (approx. 9 min.) and on the actors (approx. 12 min.). The featurettes have a strong promo character, but are not completely uninteresting.

Conclusion: The Conspiracy is a prominently cast political thriller that is very well acted and visually engagingly staged, but its rather worn and unexciting narrative prevents truly gripping suspense from developing. But for those who appreciate cleverly constructed spy stories and prefer them to be carried by dialogue rather than action, this top-class BBC production can be warmly recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp