Janus Metz, Olen Steinhauer, Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce discuss All the Old Knives (2022)

All the Old Knives

Chockstone Pictures/Jackson Pictures

Amazon Studios

Release date

April 8, 2022

Directed by

Janus Metz Pedersen

Screenplay by

Olen Steinhauer

Based on

All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer

Produced by

Mark Gordon, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz, Nick Wechsler, and Matt Jackson

Executive producers

Chris Pine, Kate Churchill, Zev Foreman, Joanne Lee, Drew Comins, Mark Gordon, Richard Hewitt, and Neil Burger

Starring

Chris Pine as Henry Pelham

Thandiwe Newton as Celia Harrison

Laurence Fishburne as Vick Wallinger

Jonathan Pryce as Bill Compton

Gala Gordon as Waitress

Corey Johnson as Karl Stein

Colin Stinton as Moscow Staff Chief

Ahd Kamel as Laila Maroof

David Bedella as Drew Favreau

Cinematography

Charlotte Bruus Christensen

Edited by

Mark Eckersley  and Per Sandholt

Music by

Jon Ekstrand and Rebekka Karijord

Interviews 3/3/2022

Award-winning Danish filmmaker Janus Metz discusses 'All the Old Knives'

“I fell in love with the script from the moment I read it.  It was a very compelling story about two CIA agents meeting for dinner, one tasked with interrogating the other. Essentially, it’s a love story interwoven with a spy thriller. There’s a whodunit plot that drives the film, but Henry and Celia’s tragic relationship anchors everything.

It’s a story about trying to do the right thing at the right moment. But the dilemma for Henry and Celia is that they are in a situation where that becomes next to impossible.

The challenge of making a spy movie is not to make things too obvious. Espionage is about keeping secrets from people, and choosing when to reveal certain details. Deciding when to hide information from the viewer was one of the most critical things about making this film work. You sometimes have to purposefully mislead the audience to twist the story in unexpected ways, and that was something I really enjoyed.”

Olen Steinhauer discusses 'All the Old Knives'

“The thing about espionage fiction is that it touches on questions of existence and identity.  It asks, why devote yourself to something that might get you killed, or that requires you to go against your own moral upbringing? Also, if you’re a spy and you take on another identity, does that identity become who you actually are? And at what point can you no longer tell the difference between your two identities? So for me, spy fiction really connects back to the questions of who we are and why we do what we do.

I was so taken by it that I started wondering if I could write a spy novel set entirely over a meal. What an exciting challenge that would be! So about a year later, I came up with the story, and within a month I’d written it."

Chris Pine who plays veteran CIA Case Officer Henry Pelham discusses 'All the Old Knives'

“The script reminded me of John le Carré’s novels and the classic spy films of old. It had a cracking plot with great twists and turns, and part of it took place in Europe in the winter, which always strikes me as desperately romantic and a little bit sad at the same time. It also touched on frightening situations like terrorist attacks that are happening in the world at the moment, and I felt it treated that material in a way that was very truthful.

Part of that is because of what happened to him early in his CIA career, so he’s carrying a heavy burden of guilt and shame within him at all times. But then he meets Celia, the love of his life. His heart starts to open up and he becomes a vulnerable human being, only to have it quickly shattered again.

I loved working with Thandiwe.  She’s emotionally intelligent, practical, and very funny, with a great spirit and energy. She’s also a very giving actress and we really connected on this movie. When you find yourself sitting across a dinner table from someone for eight weeks, and it’s just the two of you, you inevitably get to know them really well. So a great friendship developed between us."

Thandiwe Newton who plays Celia discusses 'All the Old Knives'

“She meets Henry, who’s kind of like the rock star of the CIA as far as Celia is concerned.  He also happens to be played by Chris Pine, who you wouldn’t kick out of bed for eating biscuits. Eventually, they develop an intense romantic relationship, but it all takes a nasty turn after the hijacking.

During her time in the CIA, she covered some cases that were very close to the work I do in human rights around the world, so I felt a kinship with her straight away. She was also African-American, which was really important for me because I wanted to understand what her experience was like as an operative. Did she face specific challenges on the job as a woman of color? Although that’s not dealt with in the script, I wanted to understand it from her perspective.”

I only really got to know Chris halfway through making the movie.  We had an intimate scene together, and neither of us have a reputation for doing love scenes, so we supported each other through that, and he was so generous and kind and sweet.  After that scene, we developed a bond that lasted the rest of the film.”

Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne who plays CIA Station Chief Victor Wallinger discusses 'All the Old Knives'

“It’s always a great feeling when you read a script and find yourself becoming invested in the plot, but never get ahead of it at any point. And this script had all of those qualities and more. Also, the fact that it moved between California and Europe was really interesting. You’ve got the picturesque natural beauty of Monterey juxtaposed with the architectural splendor of Vienna. So visually alone, that’s quite a striking contrast.

Victor is the ultimate spymaster with all of these other spies working for him.  And what sets the plot in motion is that he’s essentially put two of them on the chessboard and is playing a game with them.”

Jonathan Pryce discusses his role as CIA veteran Bill Compton in 'All the Old Knives'

“He’s not out in the field anymore, so he’s basically ready for retirement. Bill is someone who’s seen it all before, and he’s tired and disillusioned from his experiences in the Cold War. But then this tragic hijacking happens, which changes everything for everybody, including him. 

Bill’s interactions with Henry are much colder, so to make that appear believable on screen, Chris and I didn’t overindulge in a personal relationship off-camera. But Bill’s relationship with Celia is quite different. He was her mentor in the agency, so Thandiwe and I discussed things with each other much more frequently, and you can see some of that closeness reflected in the scenes we share together.”