''The Courier'' is a 2019

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Zackary Adler, from a screenplay by Andy Conway and Nicky Tate. It stars

Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...

Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...

Amit Shah Amit Anil Chandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician currently serving as the Minister of Home Affairs since 2019 and the first Minister of Co-operation of India since 2021. He served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata P ...

, Alicia Agneson, Greg Orvis, Craig Conway, William Moseley and

Dermot Mulroney Dermot Mulroney (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films. Appearing on screen since 1986, he is known for his work in various films such as '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' Stay ...

. The film was released in the United States on November 22, 2019, by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on December 20, 2019, by Signature Entertainment.

Plot

Ezekiel Mannings, a wealthy businessman and notorious crime lord who is under house arrest in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, seeks the elimination of Nick Murch, the only witness who can tie him to a murder. Murch is sequestered in a heavily guarded safe room in London in order to give evidence against Mannings over a video link to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. An unnamed female courier and former special ops soldier delivers a package to the safe room, unaware that the package contains a cyanide gas weapon intended to kill Nick. She rescues Nick from the attack and discovers that his protection detail has been compromised. The two are trapped in an underground parking garage full of heavily armed men who have been sent to finish the job. The assassins have an hour to find and kill Nick and the courier before police backup arrives, but she kills all of them in a brutal battle and transports a gravely wounded Nick to a hospital. He survives to testify against Mannings.

Cast

as The Courier *

as Ezekiel Mannings *

as Nick Murch * Alicia Agneson as Agent Simmonds * Greg Orvis as The Sniper * Craig Conway as Agent Parlow * William Moseley as Agent Bryant *

as Special Agent Roberts * Calli Taylor as Alys Mannings

Production

In October 2018, it was announced

would star in the film, with Zackary Adler directing from a screenplay by Zackary Adler, James Edward Barker, Andy Conway and Nicky Tate, with Marc Goldberg and

James Edward Barker James Edward Barker (born 14 February 1980) is a British composer, music producer and film producer. Many of his music works include an ethereal mixture of live sonic experimentation with grandiose classical motifs and alternative percussion. B ...

producing under their Signature Films and Rollercoaster Angel Productions banner, respectively. In January 2019,

joined the cast of the film. In February 2019,

, William Moseley, Amit Shah, Alicia Agneson and Craig Conway joined the cast of the film.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in February 2019.

Release

The Courier was released in the United States on November 22, 2019, by

and in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2019, by Signature Entertainment.

Reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 15 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". A scathing

Rex Reed Rex Taylor Reed (born October 2, 1938) is an American film critic, occasional actor, and television host. He writes the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for ''The New York Observer''. Early life Reed was born on October 2, 1938, in Fort Wort ...

in the ''

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in con ...

'' named Oldman's performance the worst of his career, and said, "In the moronic thriller ''The Courier'', nothing works on any level, but most of all where it matters most—a script that makes sense."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Courier (2019 film), The 2019 films 2019 action thriller films American action thriller films British action thriller films Lionsgate films 2010s English-language films Films directed by Zackary Adler 2010s American films 2010s British films