The Russia House

1990

Action / Drama / Romance / Thriller

37
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 70% · 20 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 50% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.1/10 10 19892 19.9K

secret cia central intelligence agency (cia) based on novel or book secret mission lisbon, portugal

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Plot summary

Barley Scott Blair, a Lisbon-based editor of Russian literature who unexpectedly begins working for British intelligence, is commissioned to investigate the purposes of Dante, a dissident scientist trapped in the decaying Soviet Union that is crumbling under the new open-minded policies.

Director

Fred Schepisi Photo
Fred Schepisi

Top cast

Michelle Pfeiffer Photo
Michelle Pfeiffer as Katya
Sean Connery Photo
Sean Connery as Barley
James Fox Photo
James Fox as Ned
David Threlfall Photo
David Threlfall as Wicklow
1080p.BLU
1.84 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
R
Subtitles
23.976 fps
2 hr 3 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Wuchak 6 / 10

_**Artistic production with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer

_**Artistic production with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, but uninteresting spy story**_ A few years before the fall of the Soviet Union, a boozy English publisher named Barley (Sean Connery) is sent a mysterious manuscript via a beautiful Russian editor named Katya (Michelle Pfeiffer), but it’s intercepted by British intelligence and Barley is coerced into going to Moscow & Leningrad to meet with Katya and the writer of the documents (Klaus Maria Brandauer), which contain technical data that calls into question the quality of the Soviet defense weaponry. Meanwhile both British and American agents (Roy Scheider, James Fox, et al.) surveil Barley’s activities. Based on John le Carre's novel, "The Russia House" (1990) is a spy drama/romance and NOT an action thriller in the mold of James Bond. Its considerable attributes include spectacular (and rare) on-location work in Russia (shot just a couple years before the fall of the USSR), Jerry Goldsmith's sumptuous jazzy score with Branford Marsalis playing soprano sax and, of course, the notable cast. The film is aesthetically pleasing and the love story is effective, especially its culmination, but the spy yarn didn’t interest me. This may because I didn’t utilize the subtitles and therefore missed a lot of the highly accented verbiage, which is a mistake when a movie is dialogue-driven, like this one. The depiction of intelligence work is presumably realistic (as opposed to 007), but static, boring, cynical and with little human decency. Next time I watch it I’ll be sure to use the subtitles. The film runs 2 hour, 3 minutes, and was shot in Moscow & Leningrad and points nearby; as well as Lisbon, Portugal (Barley’s flat); Bowen Island, British Columbia (American Intelligence 'safe house'); and London (book fair & jazz concert), as well as nearby Pinewood Studios. GRADE: C+/B-
Reviewed by CinemaSerf 6 / 10

Sean Connery at least looks like he's having

Sean Connery at least looks like he's having some fun in this otherwise rather dry adaptation of the John Le Carré tale of Cold War espionage. He's "Barley", a publisher who is recruited by MI5 to investigate a secret document sent from the USSR purporting to itemise their nuclear arsenal. Needless to say both the British and their CIA counterparts are wetting themselves at the very thought of this being real, but that needs to be verified - and that's where they recruit "Barley". He travels to Moscow to meet the author, codenamed "Dante" (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and it's whilst there he becomes increasingly distracted by his "editor" (Michelle Pfeiffer) - a woman whom his source claims never to have met! As the plot develops, it becomes clear that strings are being pulled but also that "Barley" is beginning to think on his own, and not necessarily with his brain either. Will he stick to the plan or will he throw a spanner in the works of his Western handlers? It's a solid enough story but it's padded out far too thinly. There's no chemistry between the characters from Connery and Pfeiffer (and her ropey accent) and though there are plenty of red herrings to fuel the intrigue, that's all delivered in a remarkably sterile and disjointed fashion. Le Carré's stories always focussed on detail and this film rather skirts over that in favour of developing the burgeoning romance, and that rather neuters the sense of suspense that's also not really helped by the blandness of James Fox and Roy Scheider. It's watchable, but nobody's finest two hours.
Reviewed by shakercoola 6 / 10

Authentically staged, wonderfully scored

An American spy drama and romance; A story about a British publisher persuaded to go undercover to investigate the motive of an author who is exposing Soviet secrets. Adapted from John le Carré's novel, a compelling glossy drama with a theme about the resurrection of buried hopes by betrayal. It is notable for capturing a plausibility of the realities of the time-Perestroika and post-glasnost Russia. The direction is subtle for a story that is reserved, though it occasionally gets sluggish in the plot with its standard-fare espionage. What carries the film, though, is the character-driven intrigue, witty dialogue, and strong emotional core. Connery's performance is complex, as the flawed publisher is attracted to Pfeiffer's charming go-between, a performance that is also persuasive and credible. There is fine support from Klaus Maria Brandauer as the mysterious scientist and Roy Scheider and James Fox as the bickering spy chiefs under pressure. Aside from the escapism and beautiful locales, easily the most exquisite filmic element is the critically acclaimed musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, which sweeps the audience along through the mood of places, national characteristics, and the main character's relationship.
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