Courier X Review – Four Stars! A Covert Film That Shocks with CIA Tactics

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Thursday, 20 October 2016 08:40

Written by Janet Walker

Courier X, from Gravitas Ventures, presents a contemporary spy thriller built on information gathered from major catastrophic events that holds deep implicating revelations and confirms truths held in the secret places with a plausible story line, and a shocking finale.

Directed and written by Thomas Gulamerian, Courier X stars Nathan Vogel, James C. Burns, Bron Boier, Richard Gleason, Lee Shepherd, Ben Van Bergen, Chis Boas, Jay Disney, Eddie Martinez, Randy Noojin, Bernie Rachelle, Al Sapienza, John Bianco, Anthony Mangano, Eyas Younis, Iva Stelmak,  Tom Morrissey, Gary Francis Hope and Ron Gilbert.

Courier X begins with Brian Williams, the NBC Anchor going live with a breaking news story. The footage is actual so we know that it is July 17, 1996 and TWA Flight 800 has just exploded over the Atlantic. The camera pans two men, in separate scenes, one poised on the edge of his seat and the other listening intently.

One of the men, whom has yet to be formally introduced to the audience walks to the kitchen, clearly showing distress over the events, at this point one is not sure if he is mourning the loss of a loved one, he pulls a gun from his kitchen drawer sits on the floor as the camera pans the trigger, we hear the unmistakable sound.

The scene moves to the same man walking down a corridor with voice over and images of middle eastern men, terrorists, and the voice, of whom we don't meet until the end of the film, explaining these assets are no longer of value and we are beginning a new phase which will utilize different stakeholders with restitution and insurance playing a major role,

The dialogue which is very important as the beginning and the end form a complete and unbreakablecircle with unmistakable ties to future, deeply catastrophic, events. 

So we finally meet our mystery man, Oliver Wickie, played by Chris Boas, a CIA latchkey with a life of distinguished service, who interrupts a meeting to convey important news on a current operation, which is where we meet Walter Broadnax, a high level CIA player played by James C. Burns. A suspected terrorist who was expected to board a flight with a host of diplomats, and other high level, influential politicians and policymakers,on board to lure him, backed out for unknown reasons.

Walter asks a single question, "Did Brown board?"

Former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown was killed in an airplane crash in Bosnia along with a host of diplomats and influential politicians. The crash, officially deemed weather related, with the problem left for the CIA now becomes the handling of the suspected terrorist.

The CIA, many believe, run covert operations throughout the world, as societal trends and government concerns moved from the Drug Trade in Central American to the burgeoning development of Terror trade in the Middle East, the CIA remained actively involved with key players.

The phone rings and Pulitzer prize winning journalist Gary Webb answers the phone. An anonymous female, with a Latin American accent, explains she has implicating information on the CIA that ties them into Drug trafficking.

One year later, the San Jose Mercury News published a series of reports by Mr. Webb that implicated a CIA Operative, Charles Alexander, and others in trafficking and fueling the drug trade on the ground in major U.S. cities. The series titled "Dark Alliance," reported on the CIA involvement in California cities.  

By this time, our suspected terrorist was moving money, millions of dollars to family members and buying large amounts insurance.

Under a new CIA director, James Hatch, a former professor, distinguished academic and noted science scholar, with a penchant for Baseball and the President's latchkey Jack Mitchell, played by Richard Gleason, the real puppeteer of the Bureau, who actually ran the show through veiled language and years of covert operations, code and interpretation of implied suggestions.

The newest agency driven investigation was to get ahead of the information from Dark Alliance and leave the Flight 800 investigation, of which the FBI had sought the agency's help, to the FBI.

As each of the pieces' firm up throughout the film, we meet in the beginning, Trenlin Polenski, played by Bron Boler, who as the film unfolds even for those with espionage interest his behavior is unusual and then it becomes clear.

He provides an import service for Nathan Vogel, played by Udo Kier, our other mysterious stranger appearing in the film's opening sequences.  Nathan, has a relationship with Walter at the CIA, one that provides, freedom and latitude, in exchange for occasional pick-ups and deliveries.

Our recent delivery has Jack Mitchell suggesting to Walter that "We can't have any guilty consciousness surfacing" and to "check the stability of the players."

Courier X, for me, is the definitive film outside of an actual admission from the FBI and CIA on the U.S. involvement in the bombing of Flight 800 and another deeply wounding and catastrophic homeland attack.

To say it was intriguing is a first screening impression. By the third screening, which I had the good fortune of securing, I say Courier X is addicting. It is a must see and a must have for any film collection.

It is imperative to sit through the credits as the loose ends are tied up after the credits and it is shocking. One is left with the thought, "And this is what they do to their own."

Gary Webb, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist was found in his home dead. The coroner's report labeled it a multiple gun-shot suicide. Flight 800 was deemed electrical failure after more than 755 witness described the (SAM) Surface to Air Missile light trail, the government labeled the witnesses as experiencing mass misperception.

Courier X has a plausible story line, with sharp, behind-the-scenes, or authentic dialogue, certainly uncommon to most CIA spy thrillers and is methodical, not a fast paced action film with sequences punctuated with high speed car chases or shoot outs.  

Courier X is the inner workings of the CIA, the results of which the common man, the everyday citizen lives with, witnesses, experiences and suffers through. It is shocking, addicting, thriller and stunning. It describes an agency run a muck, of thrill seeking agents given leeway and latitude to create the most diabolical terminations, without thought or concern.

With a growing cult type following Courier X is fast becoming an Film Festival favorite, winning talent and film audience awards. It is a film the public should be given every opportunity to see.

Courier X opens October 21, 2016 and is off the beaten box office path. Four Stars! it is a must see! Flock to it! Buy it! Own it!