This is one of those cynical espionage tales where the characters are known only by their last names, nobody is to be trusted, friendly fire is all too common and truth is completely subordinate to agenda.  It is not a pleasant watch.

Grant S. Johnson’s film tells two concurrent tales for much of its running time, until they finally merge into one.  Two different teams of CIA operatives are working in Europe; one team has captured a man (Barkhad Abdi) for interrogation about terrorism, while the other team is hunting a mysterious figure, capturing him, and then transporting him somewhere.  Both stories are compelling, as the agents, new to each other, follow their orders while trying to ignore their moral laxity.  Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal how the operatives were recruited by one man, the draconian Olsen (Mel Gibson).

Viewers who dislike this type of cynical melodrama with high body counts are advised to stay away.  I give the film credit for exploring this environment with some class; this is provided by Jason Isaacs and Dermot Mulroney, agents who smell something wrong with their assignment from the get-go.  I also appreciate the banter of one team as they get to know each other, which is entertaining, if not quite convincing.  On the other hand, two of the agents are identified as Manson and Bundy, which indicates where the action is headed.

Ultimately, even though I sort of enjoyed how the two story threads finally merge into one, I was dismayed by the cavalier, contemptible misanthropy of the mastermind behind all of the killing, and for such despicable reasons.  This is the kind of story which could convince susceptible viewers to distrust and even hate governmental agencies involved in security and espionage services.  It gives the CIA a bad name.  The film also ends openly, although I cannot see a sequel being produced.  ☆ ☆.  25 November 2023.