...will evoke memories of prior spy movies and the tropes they often employ.

It's in the final footage – an archival interview with the real Wynne – that the perfection of Cumberbatch's performance is expressed.

Cumberbatch has it all to do in this slow-paced, real-life tale of 60s Soviet espionage...

What elevates its otherwise familiar arc is a sharp script (...), and the remarkable commitment of its two central performances.

The star [Cumberbatch] turns in his most convincing performance for years...

It’s well shot, very well acted, and more enthralling than you might expect.

Well-acted and early ’60s period perfect...