The Russia House (1990) User Reviews (101)

Slow moving but enjoyable espionage story

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 10 September 2015]

A Soviet author known only as 'Dante' wants his book to be published in the west; to this end he has asked his friend Katya to deliver his manuscript to publisher Bartholomew 'Barley' Blair. Barley in meant to be attending a book fair in Moscow but he isn't there and Katya passes the manuscript on to his 'friend' Niki Landau. She tells him how important it is that this book is published but rather than passing it to Barley he reads it and hands it to MI6. They contact Barley to discover what he knows about Katya and Dante; he has no knowledge of Katya but had met Dante at a party some time earlier. The manuscript suggests that the Soviet military poses far less of a threat than was previously thought… of course until they learn more about Dante they have no idea whether he is real or not.

Barley is sent back to Russia to learn more about him. Once there he meets Katya and as he learns more details about Dante he develops feelings for Katya. As the operation progresses control is passed over to the CIA and it soon becomes apparent that they are not too pleased with the contents of the manuscript… one would think a less dangerous Soviet Union would be a good thing but if that danger is suddenly seen to be rather low the vast amounts of money being spent on intelligence and military equipment is harder to justify… something those in that world do not want to see.

If you are expecting 'James Bond' style thrills you will be disappointed; there are no exciting stunts, chases or explosions to be seen. In fact there is little real tension as we never really think Barley or Tanya is about to be grabbed by the KGB. That doesn't make the film boring though; the story unfolds in an interesting way. We gradually learn more about Dante while also watching the growing closeness between Barley and Katya. Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer put in fine performances in the lead roles and are supported by an able cast of well-known actors including Roy Scheider, James Fox, Michael Kitchen and J.T. Walsh… as well as a young Martin Clunes in a small but amusing role. It is clear that the makes wanted to take full advantage of being one of the first western films to be made in the Soviet Union; many of the scenes in Moscow and Leningrad looked as though they were picked to showcase some of the most impressive parts of those cities. The ending has a nice little twist that doesn't seem overly forced… we are also treated to a happy ending that is far from guaranteed with films based on the works of John le Carré. Overall a solid, gently told espionage story that will disappoint anybody expecting a thrill-ride.

Last of the Cold War dramas? (Not for the easily distracted.)

[Lupercali · 7/10 · 16 May 2004]

The Russia House is a superior spy romance movie which falls short of being great. Additionally a couple of factors have been unkind to it over time.

Connery and Pfeiffer are excellant; the large cast are almost uniformly outstanding (except perhaps Roy Scheider, who I usually like, but who seems a bit over the top in his role here); the Moscow scenery and end of the Cold War feel are great, and the main characters are easy to like, if difficult to outright love. On the down side the writing assumes too much in expecting the audience to stay on top of the espionage jargon and intrigue, added to the non-linear plot. Let your attention wander and you'll lose your way. If it had been a little easier to follow, it would have left more room for dramatic tension, which was adequate but seldom riveting.

When I said that time has been unkind to The Russia House, I meant two things: firstly that the unfortunate timing of the movie's release, a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, ensured that it would be dated almost immediately. More significantly, a growing portion of the film's potential audience didn't live through the late Soviet Era, and the nuances of concepts like Glasnost, and why Perestroika makes it hard for Pfeiffer to do her shoe-shopping aren't going to mean a thing to anyone much under 30.

But that's not the movie's fault. Russia House is still a quality, enjoyable drama with a great cast, even if it's somewhat ponderous and slow-moving, and complex. And oh yes - it has James Fox. A film like this without James Fox would have been like a table with three legs.

7 out of 10

a romance pretending to be a thriller

[hbs · 7/10 · 19 March 1999]

Maybe I was just in the right mood, but I found this an effective romance. Michelle Pfieffer was even better than her usual terrific self, and the rest of the excellent cast was, well, excellent. It is pretty slow, but I think that this is essential to the conclusion, which I found quite moving. You have to give this movie a chance to grow on you, but if you are patient it is quite accessible. Not bleak at all, as you'd expect from Le Carre.

A surprisingly non-cynical Le Carre story

[Troopie · 18 June 2004]

As a great admirer of John Le Carre, I watched this film with high expectations & although the story wasn't the usual Le Carre (such as 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'), I enjoyed it immensely. It is a combination of a good old-fashioned romance & a look at what happens when an ordinary man is brought into the world of espionage. Connery is very good as the boozy, world-weary publisher who considers personal relationships more important than Cold War one-upmanship. Michelle Pfeiffer, apart from being very pleasing to the eye as usual, was also pretty believable as the Russian trying to do the right thing. What's more, Klaus Maria Brandauer deserves an honourable mention as well. OK, the plot is complicated & sometimes hard to follow, as are most of Le Carre's works (& also, doubtless, the real world of espionage), but it is worth the effort. If you are seeking a simple good guy beats bad guy film, then don't watch this or any other realistic spy film. If, however, you want a story that manages to combine cynicism & romance, I recommend this one.

Deliberately Paced.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 2 April 2016]

Sean Connery is a publisher and saxophone player swept up in Cold War antics as an agent trying to smuggle scientific secrets of some sort out of Russia and into the West.

I never liked the soprano saxophone. I don't know why it exists. It's usually too shrill and is associated with supermarkets, cheap commercials, and Kenny G. Why isn't the clarinet good enough, hey? This is one sluggish movie and a bit complicated, as the author's plots tend to be. It's redeemed by the shenanigans of the CIA/MI5 or MI6, a group of puppeteers behind Connery and his contact, Michelle Pfeiffer, led by a hot-headed Roy Scheider and a dry, ironic James Fox. J. T. Walsh -- my co-star in the superlative "Windmills of the Gods", or what it "Rage of Angels?", I forget -- is the ironbound US Army officer who suspects everyone of being a ComSymp and wants to bomb them all -- "a hard-head from the ***hole up," as someone describes him.

They put Connery through a lie detector test to make sure he's not a commie, and the scene puts on display the movie's most charming feature -- its witty screenplay.

The wily interrogators ask Connery about his politics, his motives, his past. "Have you ever associated with any musicians with known anarchist tendencies?" Connery frowns thoughtfully. "Well, there was one trombone player. Willie Brown was his name. He was the only musician I've ever known who was completely devoid of any anarchist tendencies." The performances are uniformly good, even Roy Scheider who seems about to stroke out at any moment and who shouts scatological imprecations. I think the role calls for it. I can't understand why all the men are so awfully sun tanned though. The weather in Moscow and St. Petersberg are about what we can expect -- more clouds of gray than any Russian play could guarantee.

The photography of Russian cities and their monuments is memorable.

The Russians Are Coming!!!

[natashabowiepinky · 7/10 · 16 March 2014]

Films that require you to pay close attention to every little detail and have a complex plot from the outset can generally be thrust into one of two categories: Stimulating and intellectual, or potential insomnia cures. The Russia House is the former... so keep taking the Nytol. There's much languid talk about politics, international trade, the Cold War, espionage... and for those expecting Sean Connery to slap on a tux and start blowing people away, and going to be sorely disappointed. If on the other hand, you LISTEN to what is being said and are open to the idea of getting small rewards along the way rather than shallow exhibitionism, than this may be right up your street.

Make sure all the windows are closed, the children are in bed, your bladder is empty... because you don't want any meaningless distractions while the story is being told. Not that it moves at a fast pace, but inconsequential moments have repercussions for later on, and simple snatches of dialogue could hold invaluable clues. Russia's never looked better, and the chief photographer captures Moscow in all it's architectural splendour. The much missed Connery (He's retired from acting now, believe it or not) does a sterling job as the amateur spy who doesn't know what side he's on, and sex-on-legs Pfeiffer has a dead-on Russian accent. At least to this untrained ear.

Maybe not for action junkies, but anyone else who appreciates much subtler qualities in film... Please step this way. 7/10

Fine Performances, Ordinary Film!

[namashi_1 · 6/10 · 10 November 2013]

Based on John le Carré's novel of the same name, 'The Russia House' offers Fine Performances, but as a film, its plain ordinary. It does have some captivating moments, but overall, the slow pace & a half-baked Adapted Screenplay, act as a disadvantage.

'The Russia House' Synopsis: An expatriate British publisher unexpectedly finds himself working for British intelligence to investigate people in Russia.

'The Russia House' begins nicely, but loses momentum after 45-minutes into the film. Sure, the second-hour has some interesting moments, but the Writing isn't striking. The Climax, however, works. Tom Stoppard's Adapted Screenplay isn't without merit, but is flawed as well. Also, the slow-pace left me restless at times. Fred Schepisi's Direction is skilled & well-done. Cinematography is excellent. Editing is fair.

Performance-Wise: Sir Sean Connery, with a flawless Russian accent, is in good form. Michelle Pfeiffer, also with a superbly picked-up Russian accent, is natural to the core. Roy Scheider is flawless. He stands out. James Fox is effective. Klaus Maria Brandauer is terrific in a small, but significant role.

On the whole, 'The Russia House' could've been so much more.

Slow Pacing - James Bond This Is Not

[gbheron · 7/10 · 19 December 1999]

Interesting adaptation of John Le Carre's spy novel. As with Mr. Le Carre's writing the movie is slow and deliberately paced, letting the plot slowly sink in, and not explode in your face. The casting is dead-on with a frumpy Connery playing a middle-aged British book publisher whose love of Russia draws him in to a very high-stakes espionage caper at the end of the Cold War. Michelle Pfeiffer is also well cast as Katya, his Russian counterpart, i.e., a non-professional also drawn into the spy game. The movie does have a problem in moving the plot along through the all-to-frequent scenes of guys sitting around talking about espionage stuff. But if you like this kind of slow-paced, heavily romantic, thinking man's thriller then give this movie a try.

Ho-Hum Spy Caper; Quite Disappointing

[sddavis63 · 3/10 · 22 June 2002]

"The Russia House" makes one valid point: the "James Bond" movies do not provide an accurate description of the life of a spy. Having said that, if "The Russia House" does provide such an accurate description, one wonders why anyone would make this movie.

Simply put, this is very dull stuff. Sean Connery is Barley Blair, a British publisher who has a love for Russia and visits the old Soviet Union regularly. Set at the end of the Cold War, just as Gorbachev is beginning to open the Soviet Union to the West, Blair is conscripted against his will to work with Katya (Michelle Pfeiffer), a Russian publisher who has sent him a manuscript which actually contains Soviet military secrets. The major problem with this movie for me was that it just didn't seem that anything particularly important was at stake. As a result, the movie lacked tension; there was nothing in it that particularly held my interest.

It does - quite deliberately I think - address the question of just who the "bad guys" really are in this. A couple of scenes address this in particular. As Blair reluctantly meets with British Intelligence officials who are trying to convince him to take on this assignment, he's told by one "this is a free country. You have no choice." Then, as Blair is given a polygraph by CIA officials, this exchange: CIA - "Are you being coerced?" Blair - "Yes." CIA (somewhat excitedly) - "By the Soviets?" Blair (very deliberately) - "NO!"

It has a few moments, but overall I was quite disappointed. 3/10.

Slow and cerebral

[smatysia · 6/10 · 13 December 2013]

I have read a few John Le Carre books (although not The Russia House) and was not as impressed as most other people seemed to be. People say that the movie is slow and cerebral (and it is) but really that is how Le Carre's books read. Sean Connery never puts in a bad performance, and neither does Michelle Pfeiffer. And it never hurts that she is sooooo beautiful. Klaus Maria Brandauer is also always good and still is here. The problem is the script, which relates back to the source material. It is a little bit of a bore. Not badly, just a bit. It looks like the filmmakers were so proud to be filming in the USSR, that they went a little overboard. Not every place in Russia is St. Basil's and the Winter Palace. Overall the film is OK.

Didn't Pique My Interest

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 1 April 2007]

Russia House should have been a great film. Certainly with spirit of glasnost prevailing at the time, the western crews who came to the soon to be extinct Soviet Union to make this film got some great location cinematography of Leningrad, Moscow and other points of interest on the European continent. Sean Connery's name heading the cast should have guaranteed box office and I'm sure a few people paid for movie tickets for Russia House.

Unfortunately what they got was one two hour long boring story. Connery is a book publisher who gets a manuscript from a Russian scientist telling the truth about their defense capabilities. Of course the spy agencies from the UK and the USA find out about it and enlist Connery in some dangerous games to prove the authenticity of the manuscript.

This is a spy story with no guns, no gadgets, but unfortunately no real story. Totally unlike other John LeCarre stories done for the screen like The Spy Who Came In From the Cold or Smiley's People. Try as I might I just could not get into this film, not even for Sean Connery.

Michelle Pheiffer is the go between for the Russian scientist and Connery the publisher. A little May/December romance evolves between Connery and Pheiffer, but it doesn't save the story.

If you're expecting James Bond from Russia House, don't bother. But I can't say see it if you expect something like The Spy Who Came In From the Cold.

The first and best western film to come from Soviet Russia

[housejk · 10/10 · 7 March 2005]

The Russia House is an amazing movie. It captures the majesty of Russia in visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg (Leningrad) as well as the crumbling Soviet state. The first western movie filmed in the Soviet Union, The Russia House is better defined as a love story than as a spy thriller. Do not be concerned however, spy fans. There is plenty of intrigue to be had in this beautiful movie. The interplay between Sean Connery, Roy Scheider and J.T. Walsh in a scene from Vancouver, British Columbia alone is worth the price of admission. However, the true star of this understated romance is James Fox, who plays the British contact for Connery's Scott Blair and the foil for the CIA's Scheider character in such gentlemanly fashion as to make the audience believe the true Bond-style gentleman-spy really does exist in this world. From the beautiful scenery to perhaps the best and most haunting soundtrack of any movie--ever (reviews abound--just look them up, friends--easily the great Jerry Goldsmith's finest work), the Russia House is a truly mysterious and romantic movie.

FOR DIE-HARD LE CARRE FANS...PROBABLY TOO SLOW & TALKY FOR OTHERS

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 4 August 2021]

This has Got to Be one of the Most Subtle Dialog-Driven Spy Movies Ever.

The Production is Superb with Russia On-Location Cinematography.

Celebrating "Glasnost" by way of Cold Grey Skies behind the Extensive Monuments,

with the Liberated Citizenry "Feeling-Out" the Freedom.

Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer Show Chemistry Amongst the Secrets and "Lies" They Deal with in an Overcast World.

The Jazzy Score is Used Throughout as Mood Music as the John Le Carre Novel Unfolds with Very Little Action and even Less "Trade-Craft".

Overall, for Patient Viewers and the Not Easily Distracted, this Can Be a Rewarding, but Very Off-Beat "Spy Movie".

Roy Scheider as a CIA Operative and the Other Spys do just that...

Spy from Sound-Proof Rooms with Plenty of Booze and Easy-Chairs.

"Field Operatives" Don't have Much to Do in this Wordy, and Sometimes Witty Film.

That Could be a Way to Describe this "Cold-War-End" Outing...

Boozy and Easy

In the End the Professionalism from All Involved,

Brings a Rather Unique Viewing Experience in a Genre that Does Not Usually Embrace this Kind of Espionage-Romance.

Worth a Watch.

needs more tension

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 1 July 2015]

Katya Orlova (Michelle Pfeiffer) passes along a manuscript intended for minor publisher boozy Barley Blair (Sean Connery). It contains three notebooks from Dante (Klaus Maria Brandauer) showing Russian military secrets and their inferiority. Dante had meet Barley earlier during a party where they connected. British agent Ned (James Fox) and CIA Russell (Roy Scheider) lead the effort to make contact with Dante and determine the validity of the information.

This movie does get a good sense of a period of time in Russia. What is truly missing is a sense of tension. There isn't enough danger for Barley. He's not getting killed. At most, the Americans put a little pressure on him but the problem is that he doesn't care. Like he says, he's not selling them the Picasso. He's really just the delivery boy transporting the Picasso. I struggle to figure out what the danger is for Barley. Obviously, the danger is higher for Katya. I love Michelle Pfeiffer but her Russian accent annoyed me. Also there is little chemistry between her and Sean Connery. Her motives are questionable and he's just an old dude after a hot young thing.

The most interesting relationship in this movie is between Ned and Russell. They have to decide whether this is real or not. Also they have to run the plan. Their positions are on the line which elevates the danger level for them. It seems to me that there is an easy solution to the questions falling into the wrong hands. They could add other questions to the list. While there are interesting aspects to this movie, there is a dangerous lack of tension.

Superb

[malcolmkeithjohnson · 15 March 2006]

The Russia House

I must confess, this is easily my favourite film. I have watched only a handful of films more than once. This film I have watched at least twenty times but by the time you read this it will be many more since I watch it at least every 6 weeks or so. I sit down with a bottle of genuine Russian vodka, a small tin of red caviar and some hard white bread, I turn up the dolby 5.1 and soak up the experience. Why is this film so good? Well for a start it is from a book by John LeCarre who must be our best living author. Who else researches a book so thoroughly? Every location has been checked, every character totally believable, with an intelligent plot.

Secondly the screenplay by Tom Stoppard is faultless. Having read the book first, I could not believe how faithfully Stoppard made his screenplay- chunks of LeCarre dialogue are faithfully copied. Then there is the acting. There are memorable performances from Sean Connery (Barley) and Michel Pfeiffer(Katya), the beautiful Russian heroine. Klaus Maria Brandauer wins my "best supporting actor" award as the totally believable Russian scientist. There are so many memorable lines of dialogue in this film. Brandauers line "If I will be a hero, will you act like a merely decent human being" always brings a lump to my throat. Barley's tongue in cheek replies to his CIA interrogators are wonderful. What gives this film such a feeling of authenticity are the locations which are all genuine Moscow and St Petersburg. Already Moscow has changed a lot since this film was made. The lovely old National hotel shown in the film has been demolished and replaced with a modern nonentity, so this film is rapidly becoming a piece of history. The buildings are changing but the same faceless KGB operators are still there. How can one flawed man fight the power of the spymasters. Barley shows how to do it. What a hero! Does it have any faults?If only Ken Russell had stuck to directing and left acting to actors.

Connery Brews Moscow A Fragrant, Spiced Barley

[FloodClearwater · 7/10 · 3 November 2015]

John Le Carre stories are subtle, tissuey things.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy requires re-reading the book, and rewinding in mid-film, to catch key plot developments.

The Russia House is, in this vein, a classic Le Carre yarn, co- adapted to the screen by Le Carre and the talented Tom Stoppard.

The film is produced and directed by Australian filmmaker Fred Schipisi, notable for the excellent and psychodynamic Six Degrees of Separation and the fulsomely enjoyable Roxanne. Schipisi's direction and production values are this film's weakest points, the framed shots from the start look amateurishly ungainly, ill-framed, and ill-cut. The director's only saving perhaps was the decision to allow jazz man Branford Marsalis to score the film, with mostly lilting haunts of soprano sax melodies.

The story centers on a Brit, played by Sean Connery, and a Russian, played by Michele Pfeiffer. It is 1990, and glasnost has been declared.

Connery's leading man, "Barley" Blair, is a Russophilic book editor fond of extended stays in grey Moscow. Pfeiffer's co-lead, Katya, is a Russian of almost anonymous identity beyond the familiar tropes.

Katya has a friend who programs Russia's nukes, the friend wants Russia's secrets out, and Katya is recruited to vouchsafe them as written down to Barley, this westerner with a kind soul and an avowed commitment to humanism.

Let's start with the biggest and best part of the film, Connery. His Barley is a glorious, ruined shambles. A gentle, aging hedonist, who looks, stealing a line from the film "like an unmade bed with a shopping bag attached." Connery is entertaining and engaging in every frame, truly inhabiting Barley as an original character.

Pfeiffer is very good, if not at her best as the Russian woman beholden by secrets and restrained by crippling caution. Her Russian-tinted accent is querulous in the first minutes of the film, but by the midpoint she achieves--and she may do it with her cheekbones as much as her diction, it all counts--believability as a Russian person.

The other great strength The Russia House has, which has sustained the film as watchable and re-watchable over time, is the large supporting cast of male actors portraying the MI6 and CIA spooks who Barley haphazardly encounters, and very quickly takes direction from. James Fox, Roy Scheider, John Mahoney, Michael Kitchen and an almost SNL-flamboyant Ian McNeice (as the riotously out-of-place Merrydew) provide a fantastical espionage-ical Greek chorus that set off Connery's ethical and emotional contretemps.

The film's final potent ingredient is a solo supporting performance by Klaus Maria Brandauer as "(code name) Dante," a mysterious Russian who seems to be behind the searching questions the men in grey directing Barley seem to have.

The Russia House is neither the best wrought Le Carre story on film, nor the best "Russia film" depicting the second cold war era of the 1980s. It would take a quick undercard to The Hunt for Red October. It would lose in a close decision to Gorky Park.

But Connery as Barley above all is worth the ticket, which leaves the film in the category of "worthy," even with the producer/director's foibles set against it.

Wonderful Score

[Intermissionman_ · 7/10 · 22 November 2020]

Lights Up the Screen. Much better after a 2nd or 5th time viewing ! Volume On High First Saw 30 years ago. Aging well The Movie Stars Shine

Acting like a decent human being

[FlorianLaur · 7/10 · 26 March 2022]

This movie is a typical John Le Carré. I can understand that some viewers find it tedious, boring or lacking tension, but then they obviously aren't that familiar with Le Carré's work.

As far as I know, he has a background in intelligence and simply describes this business the way it is in reality. It isn't like James Bond or other works of fiction, but more grounded in reality.

Despite or because of that, I have a soft spot for this film. It isn't really so much a spy thriller as it is a movie about friendship, love and doing the right thing. And like the movie shows, doing the right thing others see as correct is often pointless, it's important to do what we believe in.

This was one of only 3 movies filmed in the former USSR after the Perestroika allowed it (one other being "Red Heat"), but I think it's the one that shows us the most scenes in Soviet Russia.

We all know from movies how the America of the 80s looked, but Russia? The cities and people of that time are the secret star of this movie. Having 3 top notch actors (Connery, Pfeiffer and Brandauer) in it doesn't hurt either.

The soundtrack is subtle, but beautiful and slightly melancholic.

The story switches a few times between present and past, leaving us in the dark up until the very end.

The whole story about the state of the Soviet military becomes less and less important (we also never know if Dante isn't used by the Soviets like Barly is or if his eventual demise was murder or natural) and becomes more and more about Katya, her family and Barly. Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer play this brilliantly. I would have happily watched hours more of them just being together and doing banal, everyday things. The world where the story takes place is just fascinating to me.

All in all, I give this movie a strong 7. I can understand people who don't like it or find it boring, you have to be open to it and it has to interest you.

But even just as a window into this particular time and country, I'd say it is well worth a watch. It isn't perfect, but it lulls you into a feeling of comfort; at least it did for me.

Authentically staged, wonderfully scored

[shakercoola · 6/10 · 8 October 2021]

An American spy drama and romance; A story about a British publisher persuaded by British Intelligence to go undercover to investigate the editor of a manuscript, whose author is exposing Soviet secrets. Adapted from John le Carre's novel, this is a compelling glossy drama, notable for capturing a plausability of the realities in time and place of when it was filmed - perestroika and post-glasnost Russia. The film has a central theme about buried hopes and betrayal of one's country for the common good. The direction is subtle for a story which is reserved though it occasionally gets sluggish in the plot and inevitable standard fare espionage. What carries the film, though, is the character-driven intrigue, witty dialogue, and a strong emotional core. Connery's performance is complex as the flawed publisher attracted to Pfeiffer's charming go-between, a performance which 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 beautifully.

Well acted...but also slow paced and a bit tedious.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 3 October 2021]

"The Russia House" is a film that surprised me. After all, it's an espionage story and stars Sean Connery and a stellar supporting cast. But it's surprising because the film manages to be incredibly dull.

The story begins in Russia. Katya (Michelle Pfeiffer) is looking for Barley (Connery) as she has some books to give this publisher. However, these aren't ordinary books...they contain Russian state secrets about their defense systems! Naturally, MI-6 (the British equivalent of the CIA) is excited and enlists Barley's help to track down the author of these books as well as determine what other secrets they can glean from their Russian 'friend'.

The film has a romance...but it's not all that believable. It also has a wide variety of intrigues...not of which include action of any kind! In other words, the film is quite static...and despite good acting the story just never interested me.

A less interesting John le Carré adaptation

[blott2319-1 · 6/10 · 18 March 2021]

I am always a massive fan of spy movies, and have found particular enjoyment from the more realistic style of spy stories that are based on the books of John le Carré. The Russia House is another that I found interesting, sadly it was severely lacking in the espionage that I was hoping to see. The entire story here seems to be more focused on a romance that is formed when one of the main characters is working undercover. Even the information he is seeking doesn't exactly make for much excitement. I was genuinely hoping that we might see more double-crosses or danger. Even in those moments when it seems like Sean Connery might be caught, I was struggling to figure out if there was any real danger if that happened. The entire movie is lacking in the kind of tension that you need in order to make espionage interesting. To be clear, I don't need every spy film to be a James Bond-style heightened action movie, but I do ask for stakes and maybe a little tense drama to keep me engaged. I still found some enjoyment from The Russia House, particularly because the cast is so marvelous. I simply can't see myself watching it again, since there was little in the plot that was memorable or thrilling.

Pretty pointless movie! Boring....

[japa · 3/10 · 7 August 2000]

I didn't expect much from this movie but still it was surprisingly bad. I mean it doesn't do anything for you. It doesn't make you laugh, cry, excited, afraid or anything. The romance between Pfeiffer and Connery isn't very convincing. There are good actors in this movie and they are all wasting their time. Even Connery, he's starting only to annoy with his ssshhh. There are no great feelings in this movie, it's not comedy, thriller, drama, it is just a movie. And too long, nothing happens in two hours. Only funny thing in the film is that there is Martin Clunes from Men Behaving Badly in a role with no lines. But as I said The Russia House is a pointless movie.

I gave it 3/10, perhaps even that's too much.

John LeCarre heaven

[steviekeys · 9/10 · 24 January 2005]

My first comment for this site....exciting stuff.

Prompted to write this by seeing this again on video - the third time for me, and it's rare that I want to see anything three times. And I realized that it's fascination still holds....this is one of my top 10, definitely.

The reasons I would rate this a "9", while somebody else would give it a "5.9" are largely personal....i think it always comes down to the personal. Talk all we want, when we watch a movie - as when we eat a meal, or kiss someone - the pleasure center in the brain either lights up or doesn't. For me it's all about the love of a place...for Scott Barley Blair it's early Glastnost Russia, for me it's 90's Germany - Hamburg, Berlin...the strangeness, the trueness of people who surround you in such a place and your love for them because of this. The fact that a film can light up specific sense memories like these means that it is true - at least in that respect. This is a remarkably honest film - terrifically unsensational for a spy film and one of the rare "love stories" that delivers the satisfactions expected of a "love story" without getting mawkish. Everything rings true here except for the ending (a fabricated "happy ending" which is the only thing that kept me from rating this a 10).

To ask for Manchurian Candidate type excitement from this low key film is wrong. The suspense, which is remarkably sustained (those rich long tracking shots of people walking through public places to uncertain destinations to meet with, or maybe not meet with shadow characters who may be allies or enemies) is the truer suspense of the uncertainty of living in a gray, gray world...where nothing much happens, but peril is part of the fabric of mundane life.

(Those sequences are gorgeous....the colors of autumn in a Leningrad park, the closeups of the stone gargoyles....the moody circular stepping pace of the soundtrack....Branford Marsalis' saxophone.) Someone has said here that it is talky. Yes, it is talky...but the talk is brilliant...it is the perfect reflection of a world where everyone - book publishers and bureaucrats and spies alike speaks in mannered, ritualized streams of code. This is not disinformation - it is perfectly understood by all, a language that has supplanted the language of an earlier age in which sincerity was an option.

Besides that ending, the piece is perfectly faithful to LeCarre's novel. LeCarre's books have had good luck when being translated into movies. Of the eight or so that have been adapted, four have made great films: The Spy Who Came into the Cold, The Russia House, and the two George Smiley BBC miniseries. LeCarre is a great writer and more specifically great at plotting and dialogue, and these films all succeed pretty much by filming what is written unadorned and pouring on the atmosphere. And they are blessed with lead performances by three great actors at the top of the form - Richard Burton, Sean Connery and Alec Guiness (Guiness especially...to watch him for six hours in Smiley's People is one of the great pleasures).

A beautifully efficient and elegant translation by Tom Stoppard of a great novel, wonderfully dignified and touching performances by Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer (never seen her better), a beautiful soundtrack by a second tier composer graced by the presence of a real jazz master, a terrific evocation of a place and time....a very moving film.

Music On The Mark

[LadyCatherine · 7/10 · 15 August 2002]

In years of listening to soundtracks, I have never been disappointed in a Jerry Goldsmith composition. It's almost frightening to realize his credits number over 250, he's *still* putting out 2-4 compositions a year, and they're *still* of a calibre so many composers shoot for...and miss. This gentleman has a never-ending supply, for which I am eternally grateful.

I literally wore out my first cassette tape from this film, and was on the way to wearing out the replacement when it was nicked. The third is on its last legs, too.

Beautiful music? Beyond that. I once described this heart-melting, soul-stirring, I-think-I'll-swoon music as "better than ---"

Ah, well, in case the editors are watching, I'm sure you can figure it out. (There's a chocolate cake recipe by the same name, if you need a hint.)

If the plot of the movie is too much to follow, as some people have noted (hey, after work, the complexities of a Mighty Mouse cartoon are often beyond me), my advice is to pop the soundtrack into the CD/cassette player and decompress. It's my absolute favourite wine and cheese music.

Then, when you're conscious the next day, tackle the plotline. It's worth a watch.

The hour that the ship comes in

[richard_sleboe · 2/10 · 22 April 2008]

Spy movies can be so boring. I suggest you take this one as touristic time travel, with a side order of insignificant cold war trivia thrown in at no extra cost. Following John Le Carré's novel, the script takes us from Lisbon to London to Leningrad and back again. It also takes us back in time, to an era when (political) climate change actually was a good thing. The plot itself won't engage you, but it may keep your mind from wandering too much, or your body from falling asleep. The cold war, I guess it was splendid while it ran. But seen from a distance, through the eye of the camera, it seems mostly cheesy ("You are my only country now."). Praise, however, be to Tom Stoppard for what is probably the best description Sean Connery will ever give of himself, be it on screen or in real life: "I look like a large unmade bed with a shopping bag attached." Other than that line, there is only Roy Scheider to keep you amused. His character, Russell, is a tan and dapper intelligence man who may well have been Ben Gazzara's original role model for big-time beaver picture producer Jackie Treehorn in "The Big Lebowski".