Turks & Caicos, written and directed by David Hare - 7.7 out of 10

Turks & Caicos, written and directed by David Hare

7.7 out of 10

Largely ignored by critics, this feature is not fascinating, but it does offer viewers a rather remarkable spectacle.

First, consider the cast, led by a formidable Bill Nighy, relaxed, spiritual, wise, amusing, effortless, Zen like, along with Christopher Walken, as always, a phenomenal actor to watch.

Helena Bonham Carter offers a solid performance, along with Rupert Graves, Dylan Baker, while Winona Ryder seems less convincing as Melanie Fall.

Bill Nighy has the leading role of Johnny Worricker, but he uses the Eliot name on the island that uses the dollar as currency and “kneels to the crown” in judicial matters, the worst of both words, as Worricker claims.

He pretends to be a retired civil servant, although there are some clues that this is a false statement, for he has built a safe room at his lodgings and others point out that the retirement package cannot be all that resplendent, albeit Dido Parsons is infuriated at the idea that those who take no risks and work for the state enjoy this paradise, while the others, who take all the risks get ‘fucked’by the former.

Cristopher Walken has the part of Curtis Pellisier and we would soon learn that he is a CIA agent, who invites Mr. Eliot for a meeting, insisting he knows him, even after the British man states that they had not met before.

Melanie Fall aka Winona Ryder is interested in the older, courteous, gentle, affable Eliot and she would confess to him some of the darker secrets from her past as an adolescent, when it seems her monster father would pimp her out to his friends and abuse her himself as a horrendous, incestuous beast.

She might be looking for a father figure, searching for protection, acceptance, kindness, appreciation, which seem forthcoming from someone as kind and socially intelligent as the British retired agent.

For the hero is a former MI5 operative, unlike James Bond, in terms of age, modus operandi, but perhaps more charming that the clichés.

The part of the plot that deals with the dirty, mega operation is not as clever as we would expect.

It may indeed be the major flaw of the movie.

The business people that come on the island are interested in avoiding taxes and this is the reasonable aspect, for we know they try to do that, from rich individuals, to major corporations like Apple, amazon, Starbucks, which make the headlines with the ridiculous taxes they pay…or better said, they do not pay.

There are some dialogues that are decent and Curtis makes a calculation of the amount that is circulated in the underground economy, massive sums that he estimates to be about 20 trillion – was that his figure?

To complicate things a bit further, those who play the villains in this narrative are constructing prisons and make huge profits – granted, there is a discussion that makes sense and underlines the fact that profit in itself is not vicious.

The despicable details surface when it is indicated that they can charge the states – and hence taxpayers – amounts that are ludicrous in that they inflate prices tenfold or one hundred fold.

In addition, ‘they build prisons for the poor on the continent and they raise prisons for the rich on the island’.

Which means that they take the profits they make from their prison building and invest in Turks & Caicos – presumably, just one of few fiscal paradises – in luxury properties that would be used by other fat cats.

Curtis and Johnny interfere, with the help of the traditional – déjà vu? – accountant and some bonus, exclusive information to stop this operation, unless two hundred million are transferred by the syndicate.

They have more aces in the sleeves, from the murder of Dido Parsons – the late entrepreneur and criminal who had been so aggravated with civil servants and state workers who have this fat salary package – which could compromise the image of Glencore to other destructive details.

Ralph Fiennes – the majestic actor from The English Patient and other such classics – has a cameo as the British Prime Minister.

He may be involved in one abject scheme, but let us not get into the details of it, on the off, minuscule chance that you read this and think:

By heaven! I have to go get Turks & Caicos!

Even if you are most likely not reading this, or getting the movie, which is anyway not worth too much trouble.