A great spy thriller movie is airing on TV tonight

It's from the writer of The Night Manager and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Released in 2016, the film stars Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) and Naomie Harris (28 Days Later) as Perry and Gail, an ordinary British couple holidaying in Morocco. There, Perry makes friends with Dima (MVP Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value), a boisterous Russian man with a photographic memory.

Dima confides in his new friend that he is a money launderer for the Russian Mafia, who now fears the criminal organisation are going to kill him. Dima asks Perry to pass on a USB drive to MI6, with the money launderer hoping he and his family will be offered asylum in the UK.

This is easier said than done. Dima's request propels Gail and Perry on a "tortuous journey", one that involves Britain’s intelligence establishment, Paris and the Alps.

Our Kind of Traitor's cast also includes Damian Lewis (Homeland), Jeremy Northam (Gosford Park), Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), and Saskia Reeves (Slow Horses).

If you've enjoyed other le Carré adaptations - which also include A Most Wanted Man, The Little Drummer Girl, The Tailor of Panama, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - you should check out Our Kind of Traitor.

Watch the trailer for Our Kind of Traitor right here:

The dilemma faced by Gail and Perry - to put themselves at risk by helping Dima or leave him and his family to die - is very compelling.

Plus, director Susanna White (Generation Kill, Trust) and her cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (28 Years Later, Slumdog Millionaire) infuse the material with a gorgeous modern style.

The colours pop off the screen in a vibrant, slightly unnatural way that is uncommon for spy thrillers. Yet, it really works, adding to the feeling of Gail and Perry becoming swept up in a world of intrigue which they do not understand.

Our Kind of Traitor is on TV tonight on Film4 at 11.05pm. It will also be available to stream on Channel 4's website after it airs.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight (Sunday, 18 October):

For JOE's list of all the movies on TV this weekend, click here.