The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

Such a frustrating disappointment

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Even that the film is fine it's years light distance from the book, so many things get behind !! But letting aside unfair comparison with a spectacular novel, the film deserves some praising.First at all is that a complicated plot is masterfully exposed, you get to understand it without being a genius. And this is not trivial matter, because usually spy films get too confused and wrapped into incoherence. A high qualification for the script, is clear enough. Richard Burton plays an excellent character, he stares the rest of the characters and even being the film black and white his expression and his light eyes make an impression.

John Le Carre (Novel), Martin Ritt (Director), Richard Burton (Star), and Oswald Morris (Cinematography) all Combine and Contribute to what Some Say is the Best Spy Movie Ever.A Total Antecedent to the Immensely Popular James Bond Zeitgeist that was Exploding onto the Pop Culture Scene, this 1965 Film was a Reality and Gut Check to the Real Cold War Anxiety (the Cuban Missile Crisis) that Permeated Everyday Life.Le Carre's Novel came Straight from "The Horse's Mouth" and the Author's Own Experience at MI-5, MI-6. Ritt was a No-Nonsense Director Prone to Realism and the Plight of "People" (Humanism) and was Blacklisted for Leaning Left, Burton was generally Considered one of the Best Actors of the Era, and Morris was Determined to give the Picture the Darkest, Bleakest, Stone Cold Look Imaginable.All of these Artists Delivered an Espionage Film, a Neo-Noir with a New Subject, and to this Day it is the Standard and Measure for all Spy Movies.A Good Supporting Cast, Claire Bloom, Oskar Wenner, and Cyril Cusack and others with a Fine Script by Paul Dehn, all Help make this a Completely Unique Experience, especially for its Time. In Fact, it is an Artistic Accumulation Across the Board and the Film is one of the Great Ones.It's "James Bond" Unplugged and a Gritty, Against the Grain Entry in the Glut of Garish and Goofy Spy Stuff and Spoofs of Spy Stuff that were Everywhere in the Mid 1960's. It was Super Realistic and in Black and White. It was more Enlightening than Entertaining.It Bombed at the Box Office.

This spy film is an adaptation of the novel by John Le Carre and blows the recent TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY adaptation clean out of the water. It's a dark and dingy movie about Cold War relations and the lengths that either side will go to in order to protect their own operatives and destroy those opposing them.The stark black and white photography is exemplary and gives the viewer the message that this will be a grimly realistic movie about the ruthless nature of Cold War spies. Richard Burton is perfectly cast as the jaded and burnt out agent who tries to live a normal life but is sent to Europe for one last job. The plot twists and turns so much that it's impossible to predict what's going to happen, and although it's very complex it also remains easy to follow from beginning to end.There are some great twists here, and a masterful ending which really says everything that needs to be said about the situation. The all-star supporting cast is also very good, particularly a twitchy Oskar Werner and a fragile Claire Bloom. Best of all is a haunted Burton, playing perhaps the role of a lifetime.

This film is a class unto itself. Released in 1965 , during what can be called a burning maxima of the cold war , the director takes a bold enough stand to paint an unforgiving picture of the the political regimes on either side of the iron curtain.As an espionage thriller it is truly brilliant keeping the audience on the edge of their seats till the very end. The remarkable thing about the movie is the fluid interplay of counter plots in a linear yet atypical kind of narrative. The casting is good , though I do still believe that the acting could have a lot better from some members . Despite the progressive storyline, intriguing plot the movie still carries forth shades of melodrama . There is a conspicuous presence of theatricality in this movie except for a few scenes where traces of more realist cinema can be seen. The movie is not very long and does not beat around the bush when it comes to plot progression. The climax is one of the best in the genre and warrants that the movie be watched by all the enthusiasts of the genre.Watch it for great dialogue, literary criticism , Burton's stage method and a captivating plot .