Review of The Russia House (1990) by Alison O — 02 Sep 2005

Best in Show: Michelle Pfeiffer.

One for the future: n/a.

Stand-out scene: Whispering in ear.

Brainer or no-brainer: No brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: One.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

TV.

I didn't have any expectations prior to seeing this movie as someone who hasn't read any John Le Carre stories, but it was Tom Stoppard's name as screenwriter that drew me to this film. While it was watchable I wouldn't rate this as anything special in its genre. Sean Connery plays Barley Scott Blair, a book publisher who gets embroiled in a cold war spy plot when he is selected by a disillusioned Russian scientist as the man to publish his notebooks in the West. Entrusting the role of go-between to his childhood friend Katya Orlova (Michelle Pfeiffer), the plans of the Russian boffin, Dante (Klaus Maria Brandauer) attracts the interest of the British Secret Service, who in the post-Spooks Noughties appear about as professional as Johnny English. Martin Clunes has a role of one of the MI5 set, one of whose number (Ken Russell) gives one of the worst big screen performances i've seen since Vin Diesel in Pitch Black. As for the Yanks, who of course also have an interest in information from behind the Iron Curtain, they are represented by Roy Scheider. Barley's interest in helping Dante is clouded by his increasing attachment to Katya, and while Pfeiffer deserved her Golden Globe nomination on the strength of her Russian accent alone, there's not much meat on the bones of her story and she's called upon to do little more than look decorative here. Connery adds nothing to his limited range with this role and to see him (60) pressing the flesh with Pfieffer (32) is fairly a. nauseating and b. implausible (it's right down there with the Douglas / Zeta Jones union). Pretty nondescript and cliche-ridden this isn't a movie i'll be seeking out to watch a second time.