4/19/2023 0 Comments Books about secret agentsInternationally acclaimed director Luc Besson delivers the action-packed story of Nikita (Anne Parillaud), a ruthless street junkie whose killer instincts could make her the perfect weapon. This movie particularly represents the moral damage that spies encounter after many years in the field. Many a spy who has worked a long time in the field encounters this dilemma – the bad guys aren’t so bad and the good guys aren’t so good and you are going to have to betray a lot of good, decent people to accomplish the mission. The White Hat Powers that Be wring every ounce of decency out of the main character. Like a “moth to the flame,” the key to the mission success of Burton’s character is his deniability for those who sent him on the mission. ![]() Real Life Spies relate to the deep cover spy that Richard Burton plays in the movie. The success of the film, of course, rested on the shoulders of Richard Burton as spy Alex Leamas, and he delivered one of his most truthful performances. Martin Ritt's utterly persuasive adaptation channelled all the key ingredients of the original, aided immeasurably by Paul Dehn’s impeccable screenplay, in which all the equivocations of the espionage world are played out to a devastating conclusion. John le Carré had reason to be grateful for this perfectly judged film of his novel. All of these elements combine to make The Third Man without a doubt one of the best spy movie of all time, and according to many, including Roger Ebert, one of cinema's greatest accomplishments, "Of all the movies I have seen, this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies." Scripted by Graham Greene (who occasionaly worked as a spy for the British government) the dialogue is to kill for, with a character named Major Calloway warning the film’s inquisitive protagonist to “Leave death to the professionals”. Much to its producers distain, director Carol Reed insisted on shooting the majority of the film on location in post-war Vienna, and the piles of rubble and bomb craters that help define the film's almost apocalyptic appeal are real. From the famous "cuckoo clock speech" scene on the Wiener Riesenrad big wheel to Orson Welles' supposedly dead black marketer Harry Lime emerging from a shadowy doorway, to the final chase through the city's cavernous sewers, The Third Man is a film that has often been imitated, but never bettered. Touted as “the first great picture of 1950” and selected by the BFI as the "best British film of the 20th century", this tale of murder and smuggling in Allied-occupied Vienna remains one of the most stylish thrillers of all time. Apart from the rare 'John Wick' or 'Equalizer', 'Kingsman' seems to be pretty much the only antidote to the toothless, generic tripe Hollywood tries to pass for action these days. ![]() In short, if you're as fed up with lame wannabe Die-Hards and Terminators as I am, go watch this film. But it's also a fantastic action film with an amazing cast (Oscar winners Colin Firth and Michael Caine, plus Sam Jackson AND Mark Hamill) and spectacular, over-the-top fight-scenes that in some instances even rival films like 'The Raid' for their sheer visceral intensity. You could say that this is to Bond what 'Game of Thrones' is to 'Lord of the Rings': Where the former can't and dare not go (for marketing and box office reasons), the latter joyfully and gloriously ventures. I don't know, maybe Matthew Vaughn has read that interview too and saw the potential, because 'Kingsman' is pretty much that: An ultra violent, funny, crazy, foul-mouthed James Bond film (with a little bit of 'Men in Black' and 'Mission Impossible' thrown in). Sadly, that never happened, but ever since I read that I wondered what an R-rated Bond might be like. ![]() Years ago Tarantino said in an interview that he had written a James Bond script and that he would love to direct a Bond film. The Ipcress File (1965) Played by Michael Caine Spy Story (1976) Played by Michael Petrovitch (as Patrick Armstrong)īillion Dollar Brain (1967) Played by Michael Caineįuneral in Berlin (1966) Played by Michael Caine Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996) (TV) Played by Michael Caineīullet to Beijing (1995) (TV) Played by Michael Caine Called in to investigate a scientist's disappearance, Palmer's investigation takes a turn for the psychedelic when he's subjected to brainwashing. While Connery's Bond was scoffing at the "noise" of the Beatles, Caine's Palmer was wooing 60s dollybirds by driving them to his place in his Ford Zephyr and rustling up a meal. This Michael Caine vehicle may have been produced by the team behind the Bond films, but its hero Harry Palmer is the antithesis of Ian Fleming's suave super-spy. Ex-KGB & Russia's President putin calls this the most realistic portrayal of a spy. One of the best adaptation of a spy novel.
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