The Kremlin Letter is a very intriguing and often overlooked film in the cold war spy thriller category.
This film was a big flop back in 1970 and it has been only very briefly mentioned in the biographies of Huston, Welles, etc. Some of the bad criticism this film has got is justified: the plot is confusing, the lead actor is rather distant(which is, though, convenient), the strange Russian-to-English dubbing of the actors doesn't really work and the pace is slow.
Still, never before have I seen such a refreshingly unusual, unglamourized portrayal of international espionage where the spies are all shady characters and the difference in the methods of both US and Russian intelligence organizations as well as the loyalties of their agents are highly questionable.
The ending is superbly disturbing and in the end, the plot of the film is one big mcguffin.
Rating:7/10
Ps.The opening titles are bound to make any Finn smile.
This film was a big flop back in 1970 and it has been only very briefly mentioned in the biographies of Huston, Welles, etc. Some of the bad criticism this film has got is justified: the plot is confusing, the lead actor is rather distant(which is, though, convenient), the strange Russian-to-English dubbing of the actors doesn't really work and the pace is slow.
Still, never before have I seen such a refreshingly unusual, unglamourized portrayal of international espionage where the spies are all shady characters and the difference in the methods of both US and Russian intelligence organizations as well as the loyalties of their agents are highly questionable.
The ending is superbly disturbing and in the end, the plot of the film is one big mcguffin.
Rating:7/10
Ps.The opening titles are bound to make any Finn smile.