Review of The Kremlin Letter (1970) by Art S — 17 May 2013

John Huston's cold war spy drama is largely indecipherable (although a second viewing might clear some things up). Mostly taking place in behind closed doors in bedrooms or backrooms, spy work is portrayed as dirty business and Huston's bleak cynicism seeps into every pore.

If you manage to stay alive, it would be impossible to cleanse yourself in this world. Despite its unfathomability, there are good performances from Richard Boone and Patrick O'Neal (not to mention Bibi Andersson and Max Von Sydow, on leave from Bergman; Orson Welles is too much himself) and Huston's cold mise-en-scene sort of works.