Yes, The Courier (2020) is based on a true story. The movie tells the story of Greville Wynne, a British businessman who worked as a courier between the UK government and a Soviet spy during the Cold War, leading to his arrest and imprisonment by the Soviet Union in the 1960s.
What is the true story behind the movie The Courier (2020)?
The Courier (2020) is based on the true story of Greville Wynne, a British businessman who was recruited by MI6 to act as a courier between the agency and Oleg Penkovsky, a Soviet military intelligence officer who was secretly working as a spy for the United States and the United Kingdom.
Wynne, played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the film, began his espionage career in 1962, during the height of the Cold War. He was approached by MI6 agent Dickie Franks, played by Angus Wright, and asked to transport classified materials from Moscow to London. Wynne agreed, and over the next two years he made several trips to the Soviet capital, where he met with Penkovsky, played by Merab Ninidze.
Penkovsky had access to some of the Soviet Union’s most sensitive military secrets, and he provided valuable intelligence on Soviet missile defense systems, nuclear capabilities, and military plans to the Western allies. Thanks to Wynne’s courier work, MI6 was able to obtain this intelligence and pass it on to the CIA and the US government.
However, Penkovsky was eventually caught by the Soviet authorities and sentenced to death for espionage. Wynne was also arrested and charged with espionage, but he was eventually released in a prisoner exchange with the Soviet Union in 1964. He returned to the UK and lived a quiet life until his death in 1990.
Are there any books about the true story behind the movie The Courier (2020)?
Yes, there are several books that tell the true story of the events that inspired the movie The Courier (2020).
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The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben MacIntyre - This book tells the story of Oleg Gordievsky, the KGB agent who worked as a double agent for MI6 during the Cold War and whose activities are the basis for the movie.
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The Terminal Spy: A True Story of Espionage, Betrayal, and Murder by Alan S. Cowell - This book focuses on the investigation into the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent who had also worked for MI6 and was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London in 2006.
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The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman - This book tells the story of Adolf Tolkachev, a Soviet engineer who spied for the CIA during the Cold War and provided valuable information on Soviet military technology.
All three of these books provide a detailed and fascinating look into the world of espionage during the Cold War and the individuals who risked their lives to serve their respective countries.
You can try an audible free trial and search for audiobook versions of those