Codename Kyril [DVD]

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this again for the first time since its original transmission. As always Edward Woodwood doesnt disappoint and there's and excellent performance from Ian Charleson. It may seem a little dated now, but if seen as a product of its time it is extremely rivetting. The music is fabulous too and marks an early launch into film work for its composer Alan Lisk who also wrote the music for Men Behaving Badly amongst many other things. I had the great pleasure of making contact with Alan Lisk just after this film was transmitted on TV to ask if the music was available. At that point it wasent, but Alan Lisk very kindly produced an audio copy and sent it to me free of charge. A very kind gesture indeed.

Originally transmitted in 1988, Codename Kyril is a well crafted spy story that boasts a quality cast, headed by Edward Woodward and Ian Charleson.

This release by Network is of the original two part mini-series, with a running time of 210 minutes. It would have been interesting to also have had the cut-down TV movie edit on a second disc, as it is true that the opening hour or so does drag a little.

This is partly down to the lack of Edward Woodward, whose contribution to part one is relatively minor - whereas he dominates the story in part two. And once Woodward takes centre stage then the story moves up several gears. Ian Charleson, best known for Chariots of Fire is the other main character and his understated performance contrasts well with the steel of Woodward.

In Moscow, Marshall Stanov (Peter Vaughan) has come to the conclusion that there is a traitor inside Moscow Centre, leaking information to the British. He sends his most trusted agent, Ivan Bucharensky (Ian Charleson) to the West, with orders to pose as a double-agent in order to smoke out the mole. MI6's top agent, Royston (Edward Woodward) is ordered to locate Bucharensky, codenamed Kyril, and establish if he is a genuine defector, and also find out what Kyril knows about the mole working inside Moscow Centre. But Royston has his own agenda, and he isn't the only one ....

The screenplay for Codename Kyril was by John Hopkins, adapted from John Trenhaile's 1981 novel The Man Called Kyril. Hopkins had a lengthy and impressive career, being responsible for the screenplays of major films such as Thunderball (1965) and The Offense (1972) as well as prestigious tv serials like John Le Carre's Smiley's People (1982). He was able to take the complicated story, where nothing is quite as it seems, and transfer it well to the screen.

With unmissable central performances from Woodward and Charleson and a first-rate supporting cast, including Joss Ackland, Peter Vaughan, Denholm Elliot and Hugh Fraser, this is a classy cold-war yarn that grips all the way until the final shock revelation.

In Tsarist Russia, it is said, most terrorist organisations derived a considerable part of their income from dues paid by Tsarist secret service agents and moles. This is one of those spy-stories that follows that same tradition as large numbers of people seem to be playing in the wrong strip. This makes for enjoyable watching and solving (and a very nice ending). The mullet hairdos set the story firmly in era and it has the grim procedural elements of Smiley or a Sweeney episode. The plotting isn't quite as tight as it might be at times (I'm sure he told her not to answer the phone and then phoned her!) but it is a film where you need to keep your wits about you. Loads of good actors and Richard E Grant looking permanently outraged.