The Kremlin Letter

Brutal.

This was fun for how diabolical everybody was. Its a nasty pessimistic film in the best way. The story is a bit messy as it wants to focus more on ugly spy tactics than plot. Boone is great, his drawl is always welcome.

This spy gem has some tonal weirdness where it starts out fairly lighthearted and ends up... not that way. Still, it's very satisfying for those who like their spy fiction less James Bond and more Le Carré. However, having Welles and Von Sydow as the russkies almost threatens to have the viewer switch allegiances.

Increasingly fascinating film that explores, without resolution, how awful human beings can be - regardless of situation or circumstance. In this way, it's an actor's film, and it is a treat to see Max Von Sydow, Orson Welles, and Bibi Andersson match the same depraved beats in the same scene. It's also a shame that this is more for study than for entertainment.

The excessive duplicity and increasingly base morality of these characters is always interesting, even in the spy genre; it comes closer to the feel of Army of Shadows than any traditional spy stuff. A problem arises with a few character motivations and the all-too-often romantic subplot making the later events unconvincing, but not enough to mar it totally (the ending wouldn't be the same without it, for one). Oddly enough in a cast this talented, it's Richard Boone that delivers the strongest.