FOLLOWING a suicide bomb strike in a British market, the Crown case against the sole surviving terrorist (Denis Moschitto) depends on classified evidence which the Attorney General (Jim Broadbent) instructs Special Advocate Claudia (Rebecca Hall) to ensure that it will be heard only in closed court.

The Special Advocate must obey clear rules. Once she sees the secret evidence, Claudia must not communicate it to either the defendant or other members of the defence team. On the eve of trial, the defence lawyer dies, perhaps was murdered, and barrister Martin (Eric Bana) replaces him. But this is no open-and-shut case. Martin needs what Claudia must prevent him from getting. Martin and Claudia, both hot-shot advocates, were once lovers.

Upon these fundamentals, Stephen Knight has built a screenplay of conspiracy, official deviousness, dishonesty, secrecy, mendacity, murder, betrayal and danger that, under John Crowley’s direction, flow across the screen with admirable conflict, tension, energy, complexity and excitement. There may be some lèse-majesté in its treatment of how secret arms of Government operate, but any distortion of verity has scant effect when the narrative is facing a balancing and comfortable credibility.

The film looks good throughout. Fine performances from Bana, Hall, Julia Styles as a journalist, Cairan Hinds as Martin’s researcher and Kenneth Cranham as a judge of impeccable probity bring it all together.

At Palace Electric