When the CIA discovers that one of its operatives released classified information that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, veteran spy Henry Pelham is tasked with finding the mole alongside his former lover and colleague Celia Harrison.
Based on: ‘All the Old Knives’ by Olen Steinhauer
Air date: 8 April 2022 (USA)
Director: Janus Metz Pedersen
Music by: Jon Ekstrand; Rebekka Karijord
Distributed by: Amazon Studios, Chockstone Pictures
From lovers, to spies, to enemies. Your new fave thriller #AllTheOldKnives arrives April 8th 👀 #SpyVsSpy pic.twitter.com/DNuwSzJit0
— Prime Video UK (@primevideouk) March 4, 2022
Chris Pine appears to be well on his way to establishing himself as the major star in the action-thriller genre, having previously published ‘The Contractor‘ and now ‘All the Old Knives.’ If ‘The Contractor’ is about the murky world of mercenary employment, ‘All the Old Knives’ is a scathing examination of the CIA.
Pine gives an effortless performance as a spy probing his lover for the hijacking of Flight 127 and the consequent killings of everyone on board, surrounded by equally effortless talents like Thandiwe Newton, and Laurence Fishburne, and Jonathan Pryce.
Here’s everything you need to know about ‘All the Old Knives’ movie.
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‘All the Old Knives’ (2022) Plot Synopsis
Eight years after Turkish Alliance Flight 127 was hijacked by the notorious terrorist group Al-Da’irat, killing everyone on board, Henry Pelham (Pine) is informed by his supervisor Vick (Fishburne) at the Vienna station that Langley is reviving the Flight 127 case. Ilyas Shishani, a Chechen national, was apprehended as the perpetrator of the hijacking.
He allegedly told the CIA before his death that he received critical intelligence from within the Vienna station, hinting that a mole was present at the time. Because a phone call from the office of CIA operative Bill Compton (Jonathan Pryce) was made to a Tehran number, he is the apparent suspect. Bill, on the other hand, wasn’t the only one who used the extension at the time. Henry’s lover and coworker, Celia Harrison (Newton), worked immediately under Bill and might have made the call as well.
Following that, Henry interrogates Bill in London and Celia in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The story switches back and forth between Henry’s talk with Bill and Celia and the eight-year-old hijacking incident. Celia has two children and is now married. She and Henry meet at a beautiful restaurant with a view of the sea.
Except for an old couple, there are no other visitors. Henry makes touch with an assassin known only as Treble before entering the dinner. Treble’s presence becomes clear as he plots the assassination of Celia. He assures Henry that he would discuss the matter with him before carrying out the deed.
Who Is the Mole at the End of Movie ‘All the Old Knives’?
The video begins with the premise that anyone who worked on the Flight 127 event at the Vienna station could be the mole. After the hijacking is reported to the Vienna station, they find that a CIA spy is on board Flight 127. From inside the plane, the claimed spy, Ahmed, transmits communications pushing the CIA to attack through the back undercarriage.
The plane is at a Vienna airport, and the CIA’s only option is to make recommendations to the Austrian authorities. The Al-Da’irat organisation wants several of its affiliates released from German and Austrian custody, but its commanders understand that doing so would be political suicide. As a result, they stall for time, jeopardising the lives of all those innocent individuals.
The Vienna station’s operatives are well aware that the Al-Da’irat will not accept anything less than their demands. As Ahmed recommended, Henry believes they should storm the plane. Ahmed’s messages, on the other hand, quickly shift. Because the undercarriage has been hacked, he advises the CIA not to attack.
Ahmed has been detected, and the communications are now being sent by someone else – most likely one of the terrorists. Before the terrorists use Sarin gas to kill themselves and everyone else on the plane, Ahmed is executed in front of the media.
Henry informs Bill and Celia about the call to Tehran eight years later, during a conversation with them. It’s discovered that Celia was aware of the call but chose not to report it. The audience is originally led to assume that she did it out of a misunderstanding of Bill’s allegiance. Later, it is revealed that she discovered the same Tehran phone number on Henry’s phone.
Ilyas was one of Henry’s contacts while he was stationed in Moscow years ago. Ilyas was a gentle and caring family man with a wife and a daughter at the time. Despite Henry’s protests, the Moscow station handed him over to Russian police. This, combined with the murder of his daughter in Iran, triggered his metamorphosis into a terrorist.
Following the Flight 127 incident, Celia left Henry and the CIA. She just wanted to get away from it all. When Henry arrived to question her, she saw it as a threat to herself and her family, so she contacted the CIA. Ilyas allegedly told them Henry was the mole before he died. For them, Celia’s revelation validated the information.
They were able to get Henry to the restaurant with Celia’s cooperation, and they were able to disguise their operatives as restaurant workers and clients. Henry requests a vodka martini upon his arrival, but the bartender informs him that they only have wine. They poisoned Henry’s wine glass, which he had been sipping from the entire evening.
Celia inquires about Henry’s motivations as he approaches death. Henry responds by saying he did it for her. One of his sources brought him to Ilyas on the day of the hijacking. Meanwhile, Celia comes face to face with one of Ilyas’ subordinates while following a lead. The terrorist leader informed Henry of Celia’s whereabouts and wanted information in return for her protection. Henry didn’t have a choice but to comply.
Is Celia Going to Die at the End of the Movie?
Henry tells Celia to go as he is about to die. She eventually does, oblivious to the fact that Treble is trailing her. Treble asks Henry for permission, but he dies before he can respond. Treble’s failure to complete the assignment is most likely indicated by Celia’s safe return home.
Vick knew Henry was the mole, and he worked with other high-ranking authorities to get rid of his former employee. Whatever his motivations, Henry’s actions resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, and he was eventually sentenced to prison. In the meantime, Celia returns to her family, leaving her life as a spy in the past.
