Intelligent casting, strong performances, and the persuasive chemistry between Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer prove the virtues in director Fred Schepisi's well-intended but problematic screen realization of this John Le Carré espionage thriller. At its best, The Russia House depicts the bittersweet nuances of the pivotal affair between a weary, alcoholic London publisher (Connery) and the mysterious Russian beauty (Pfeiffer) who sends him a fateful manuscript exposing the weaknesses beneath Soviet defense technology. Connery's Barley is a gritty, all-too-human figure who's palpably revived by his awakening feelings for Pfeiffer's wan, vulnerable Katya, whose own reciprocal emotions are equally convincing. Together, they weave a poignant romantic duet.
The problems, meanwhile, emanate from the story line that brings these opposites together. Le Carré's novels are absorbing but typically internal odysseys that seldom offer the level of straightforward action or simple arcs of plot that the big screen thrives on. For The Russia House, written as glasnost eclipsed the cold war's overt rivalries, Le Carré means to measure how old adversaries must calibrate their battle to a more subtle, subdued match of wits. Barley himself becomes enmeshed in the mystery of the manuscript because British intelligence chooses to use him as cat's paw rather than become directly involved. Such subtlety may be a more realistic take on the spy games of the recent past, but it makes for an often tedious, talky alternative to taut heroics that Connery codified in his most celebrated early espionage role.
If the suspense thus suffers, we're still left with an affecting love story, as well as some convincing sniping between British and U.S. intelligence operatives, beautifully cast with James Fox, Roy Scheider, and John Mahoney. Veteran playwright Tom Stoppard brings considerable style to the dialogue, without solving the problem of giving us more than those verbal exchanges to sustain dramatic interest. --Sam Sutherland
(15 votes)
2.
Sean Connery and Michelle Pfieffer ignite the screen in this enchanting adaptation of John Le Carre's suspenseful espionage drama. Connery portrays Barley Blair -- a lonely, middle aged, hard-drinking, London publisher -- who has a love for all things Russian. While in Russia, Barley captures the attention of a daring Russian scientist (Klaus Maria Brandauer), who attempts to send him a top secret manuscript disclosing the secrets of Russian military defense, which, if published in the West could alter the global balance of power. However, the manuscript falls into the hands of the British C.I.A., and they coerce Blair into traveling to the Soviet Union to find out the identity of the manuscript's author and the validity behind the secret military codes. Reluctantly, Blair arrives in the cold landscape, hoping to complete his mission and leave as soon as possible. But his contact turns out to be Katya (Michelle Pfieffer), a sensitive and beautiful Russian editor, and Blair soon falls deeply in love with her. Realizing she is an unwitting pawn in a deadly game, he does everything he can to protect her, and his empty life is once again filled with meaning. Set against the vivid backdrop of Russia's most beautiful cities, this thriller explores the tension filled years during and after Glasnost as Russia struggled to gain power and shed their previous political reputation. Featuring a fine ensemble cast including: director Ken Russell, Roy Scheider, and James Fox.
(15 votes)
3.
"An absorbing yarn of romance and political intrigue!" - Variety
A filmmaking tour de force and "the year's most sophisticated, suspenseful and sexy entertainment" (Cosmopolitan), The Russia House) stars Oscar® winner Sean Connery and Oscar® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer as two people caught in a web of spies and politics, whose love could prove fatal to them both.
When Katya (Pfeiffer), a beautiful Russian book editor, attempts to send British publisher Barley Blair (Connery) a manuscript written by a noted Soviet scientist, she unwittingly draws them both into a world of international espionage. The manuscript, which contains information that could alter the balance of world power, is intercepted by the West's spy-masters who then send Blair to Russia to gain more information on the mysterious document. But when Blair meets Katya, he finds himself torn between his mission and the woman whose passion for her country - and for Blair - knows no bounds.
(15 votes)
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