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In this star-studded, black-hearted spy thriller directed and co-written by the legendary John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen), a potentially catastrophic diplomatic letter from the CIA must be recovered at all costs. Drafted in is Rone (Patrick O'Neal), a young agent with a photographic memory, to make his way through a treacherous maze of shadowy cities and shady characters. Based on the acclaimed novel by Noel Behn, drawn from his work within the U. S. Army Counterintelligence Corps, The Kremlin Letter is a brutal, level-headed examination of espionage, leaving behind any trace of gadgetry or glamour. Described by legendary French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samouraï) as 'magisterial', and featuring an astonishing cast including Orson Welles, Max von Sydow, George Sanders, Bibi Andersson, and Richard Boone, Eureka is proud to present this long-unavailable, high-concept James Bond beater in its UK DVD debut. The Kremlin Letter is released on 25 July 2011.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
No major American director has had a lower percentage of his films available on DVD than John Huston. One of the reasons is that Huston made a number of his films for smaller, newer companies that appeared after the collapse of the old studio system in the late 1960s. These companies quickly went bust leaving the question of who owns the rights to these films in limbo. Another is that Huston's choice of material was eclectic and mostly downbeat which is never a key to financial success on the big screen or off. THE KREMLIN LETTER was innocent of the first charge having been made for 20th Century Fox but not of the second for its overall tone and outlook at international espionage makes THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD look like a cozy entertainment. Still there were films like it already out there so its failure came as a big surprise to Huston and to Fox.
The complex plot involves a group of older spies outside the major agencies who are hired to retrieve an embarrasing letter that could cause an international incident. They recruit a young man with total recall (Patrick O'Neal in a role intended for James Coburn) to join them in their effort. The group is headed up by Richard Boone, an amiable Texas type who is more complex than he seems. The film features a dream cast of character actors (George Sanders, Nigel Green, Dean Jagger, Orson Welles) who add spice and a sense of fun to the proceedings. The main villian is a KGB department head played by Max von Sydow whose one weakness is his wife (Bibi Andersson). The movie plays out against expectations with an ending that has real bite. If you're a fan of intelligent spy thrillers than THE KREMLIN LETTER is one of the best so grab it while you can.
The complex plot involves a group of older spies outside the major agencies who are hired to retrieve an embarrasing letter that could cause an international incident. They recruit a young man with total recall (Patrick O'Neal in a role intended for James Coburn) to join them in their effort. The group is headed up by Richard Boone, an amiable Texas type who is more complex than he seems. The film features a dream cast of character actors (George Sanders, Nigel Green, Dean Jagger, Orson Welles) who add spice and a sense of fun to the proceedings. The main villian is a KGB department head played by Max von Sydow whose one weakness is his wife (Bibi Andersson). The movie plays out against expectations with an ending that has real bite. If you're a fan of intelligent spy thrillers than THE KREMLIN LETTER is one of the best so grab it while you can.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Terrific cast, directed and co-written by the legendary John Huston, but, for me, this film just doesn't gel. The direction seems remote and clinical, the performances uninspired and two-dimensional. Pity, it could have been a classic. Just goes to show how difficult making movies must be if all that talent couldn't make this one work.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This movie is every bit the equal of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold or The Ipcress File or any of a number of other espionage films from the late 60s and early 70s. An amazing cast of character actors and a pretty downbeat and depressing story combine into one of the more memorable spy films I've seen in some time. It's a complicated story with characters it is difficult to like, but if you stick with it and pay attention, this movie rewards you in spades. Certainly worth a look-see from anyone interested in the spy films that followed in the wake of the phenomenal success of the James Bond series.
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