The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

1965

Martin Ritt

Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck ...

7.1

3,416

Mystery. Romance

Mystery. Romance

When a fellow British agent is killed at Checkpoint Charlie right before his eyes, Alec Lemas, head of the Berlin station, returns to London headquarters. There his boss, Control, inquires if he is tired, burnt out, ready to come in from the cold. Control suggests that there is a vacancy, a desk job, that might interest him, but Alec declines adamantly. Thus, Control immediately mentions that he has something out of the ordinary in mind ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Variety Staff Variety	"An excellent contemporary espionage drama of the Cold War which achieves solid impact via emphasis on human values"
		Scott Tobias AV Club	"[Ritt] and Burton get the dry wit of le Carré's work just right"
		Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"Grim, monotonous, and rather facile, though Richard Burton's aging agent has some honest poignancy."
		Bosley Crowther The New York Times	"The film makes you believe it could have happened. And that's the remarkable thing."
		Ian Nathan Empire	"The very antithesis of 007’s grandiose adventures: dour, talky, depressed, but fiercely intelligent, strikingly austere and beautifully acted (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		David Parkinson Radio Times	"Martin Ritt's icy direction and Oswald Morris's bleak black-and-white photography make this not just the most authentic Cold War film, but also one of the best (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Chuck Bowen Slant	"Ritt orchestrates the film’s ebb and flow of emotions with a finesse that’s chilling (...) A fabulous, distinctive movie that revels in the precision and density of conversation as warfare (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"

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