This flick, which was a $6 bargain at Portland's Living Room Theater, is nicely paced, doesn't flag, very topical, and a welcome step up for Francis Lawrence (no relation), who would seem to have done his internship on the Hunger Games pictures, and now can break out into auteurist works of his own (or, at least, competently-cobbled together one-off storylines). Jennifer Lawrence, one of the rare "KING" souls who acts in movies, but doesn't direct them (though Tommy Lee Jones comes to mind), has such a command throughout (duh!) that her tall-ness (apart from physical height) keeps your eyes on her and watching her throughout. Howevermuch people know about *the world* is going to affect whether you stick it out with this movie; annoyingly, a lot of reviewers I've seen (or glanced at, really) seem to feel it's up to them to check out, as the film's "not plausible" or (really) "a bummer." Don't know why ... maybe John le Carré scares them, too? Nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to shrug off, either; this is a creditable film, and I don't like to see it tossed in the wastebin. It's worth your two hours, if you keep up with current events as a matter of course, and not just kinda or sometimes. Adjust accordingly.