Page Eight - A slow burner 

Page Eight is about an MI5 analyst who's boss dies and leaves him a rather sensitive file that some in the British hierarchy would rather never sees the light of day.

If you've seen Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy then it's basically the same thing - a spy thriller that tries to portray the more `realistic' side of espionage. By this I mean the side of spying that isn't shown in James Bond. Don't expect any beautiful bikini-clad babes in Page Eight, or even a car chase with a car than can turn into a boat. What you have here is a political thriller where `battles' are carried out with words and briefcases, rather than Walter PPKs.

Page Eight has a great cast - anything with Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes and Michael Gambon are always going to carry a certain level of kudos with them.

Is it any good? Yes, it does the job. It's probably worth a watch if you're happy with slower-paced thrillers. Gary Oldman's Tinker, Tailor is probably a superior vessel and Page Eight does come across like a film which was written by a Guardian reader, i.e. very left wing, but it's still not a bad watch.

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights