Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

wilkinsonalan Hunted down this movie, as it appears a rare beast. The cast is stellar for a British movie. The main protagonist appears to have been likened to James Dean. He spends much of the film striking louche poses - less angry young man, and more 'hip cat'. He appears miscast in this movie, as he inhabits a different plain to the rest of the cast. The storyline, in retrospect, is quite straight forward. However, it has managed to become inextricably entangled in elongated scenes of travel across the agricultural swathe of the then East Germany. There are also some unnecessary fight scenes that appear neither relevant nor truly aggressive. Conceivably, aspects of this movie are conceived out of homo-erotica? I truly wanted to love this movie. I adore 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' and the BBC Smiley series, but this was to flaccid and languid for my tastes. Something of a shame when one notes the immense cast that was at the director's disposal. If you love Cold War dramas - and Le Carre adaptations, you will, no doubt, want to watch this movie - with much sadness, I have to say - be prepared to be underwhelmed.

Adrian Stevenson (ade-stevenson) I'm a big fan of Le Carre, and I love the movie versions of 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold' and 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. This movie is a real disappointment though. It differs significantly from the book in ways that seem pointless. The actor who plays Leiser looks like he's stepped off the set for 'Two Lane Blacktop' and looks frankly ridiculous as a Pole under cover in East Germany. The East Germany scenes themselves look like they were filmed in California (perhaps they were). The changes to the plot actually change a fundamental premise of the book. All in all, this film is not really worth the bother. Head for the book version or the 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold' if you've not yet seen it.

MrOllie Most of the reviews I have given are of films that I saw at the cinema upon its release and have then recently watched again. However, THE LOOKING GLASS WAR is a movie that I never got around to watching at the pictures, therefore, I decided to shell out 3 pounds and buy the DVD. I must say that I am glad I did as I quite enjoyed it. A young Christopher Jones plays a Polish seaman who is recruited by British Intelligence to go into East Germany to check out some missiles in return for being given leave to stay in the UK. The acting was better than I thought it would be and the storyline was OK. I liked the jazzy soundtrack as well. Not a bad film at all and worth the 3 quid I paid.

wes-connors Knife-wielding seaman Christopher Jones (as Leiser) is recruited, by British spies, to sneak through the Iron Curtain, in Germany; there, he is to confirm suspicions the East German Communist are building missiles. Mr. Jones' mission is, at first, complimented by, but later, compromised by the urge to mate; especially after he encounters delicious Pia Degermark (as Anna). Writer/director Frank Pierson's adaptation of John Le Carré's Cold War novel is, in the end, disappointing; but, it has some strengths. Shirt-shedding Jones' Polish-French-English dubbing is very well done. Mr. Pierson's direction holds interest. Jones and Ms. Degermark are very beautiful; unfortunately, both would have short-lived starring careers. Another promising young performer, Anthony Hopkins (as Avery), makes a good impression; and, veterans Ralph Richardson and Paul Rogers give the picture some gravitas.***** The Looking Glass War (1969) Frank Pierson ~ Christopher Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Pia Degermark