Parents' Guide to

All the Old Knives

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Intense spy thriller mixes romance with political intrigue.

Movie R 2022 101 minutes
All the Old Knives Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 18+

This movie clearly shows you can't trust people like Celia

It clearly proves Henry was a total fool, when he saw the bartender and there was no one at the restaurant and also he felt sick then he should have instructed Trouble in the washroom to kill Celia and her family, if something happens to him. CIA did the right thing if they have a mole they should take care of it. But the question is Henry, Henry had so many contacts and he even one Ilyas’s trust, but Henry couldn’t see what was coming. What kind of a CIA operative is a Henry if can’t see there was something wrong in the restaurant, we was also feeling dizzy, and suddenly from no where a waiter comes in a middle of a shift. And even then Henry didn’t realize something was wrong. Celia was married to someone and even having kids, and still Henry didn’t realize not to trust Celia, it clearly prooves Henry is big idiot. I think even Ilyas knows how to plan better than this stupid Henry. Celia is one big lier never to be trusted, do you think any one in real life fall for the trap of Celia, no one would fall cause everyone one knows never to trust people like Celia. Even when a blood drop falls Henry just did nothing, no common sense. In real life they would immediately take the phone from there pocket and dial any number. In this case Henry didn’t had to do nothing, he had only to take the phone dial Trouble’s number and keep it on. Then Trouble would hear that Henry is poison and Trouble know what to do. Celia had planned this from the time she got the call from Bill to kill Henry. How could she be true lover, if what Celia did is the right thing then 100% Henry has right to kill Bill and Celia to save himself and it is also justice. I think here what the movie shows is Henry’s Idiocracy, the movie it self lack real life situation and relisiticity. And for the last ponit I wanna mentioned no idiot would work to a restaurant without a gun specially when there meeting someone like Celia who, could never to be trusted. And not taking precautions when there been given to investigate who the mole is when there the mole. And definitely anyone would inform someone about who they gonna meet just in case something happens to them, so others no who is responsible.

This title has:

Too much sex
15 people found this helpful.
age 16+

You Know What's Coming, But You Hang Around Anyway

All the Old Knives is a film you watch when you're scrolling through the channels and nothing is on. The R-rating is strictly for the sex scenes, which were unnecessary, because this film calls upon the viewer's imagination with many plot elements implied so spelling out those scenes in detail is contradictory to the approach of telling the story. The screenplay and novel author Olen Steinhauer is also responsible for the fantastic series Berlin Station and if the author had more time and money to produce a longer film(maybe 3 more hours) All the Old Knives might have been a better production. All the Old Knives is average, middle of the road, meh, but.....if you truly want a better experience, pay strict close attention to all the characters and the small elements that are introduced throughout the film - which are many.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):

The palpable chemistry and truth-digging conversation between the two leads makes this spy thriller more about a central relationship than a typical whodunit. Pine and Newton are excellent as former lovers whose relationship didn't survive a deadly plane attack. Henry and Celia's long dinner reveals just how intense their romance was, a fact highlighted not only by the actors' smoldering expressions but the flashbacks to several love scenes interwoven with the political maneuvering of their CIA office. Although there are quick, harrowing scenes of the hijacking and the agents desperately interviewing informants, the movie focuses much more on the intimacy (emotional, intellectual, and physical) between the agents.

Spy films usually explore the moral ambiguity of government agents who act in reprehensible ways for the good of their countries, and All the Old Knives is no exception. The film's editing and cinematography keenly position each of the main characters as a suspect, with scenes that depict them in shadowy places. In the third act, there are some predictable moments, as well as unanswered questions and undeveloped issues about the mystery's big reveal. But it's easy to forgive any of the movie's more formulaic aspects because of the remarkable charm of its stars.

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