Tag Archives: John le Carré

Sean Connery: 10 Of His Best Non-Bond Roles

November 4, 2020 flawintheiris

Sean Connery died on Saturday, October 31, at age 90. The Scottish actor was the first cinematic James Bond, and for many will always be the greatest — defining the mix of suave, stylish, sexy, and ruthless for a generation of fans. While so much of what he did with that character is easy to… Read More

A Brief History of Spy Movies: Part Three

June 29, 2019 flawintheiris

THE LE CARRÉ ADAPTATIONS In the past two posts I review Harry Palmer movies and a dozen spy pictures from 1966 to 2006. This post is devoted to the film adaptations of the godfather of spy novels. Roger Ebert described John Le Carré’s novels as “chess problems in which one solution is elegant and all… Read More

Our Kind of Traitor review — Ordinary spycraft

July 30, 2016 flawintheiris

Directed by Susanna White | Written by Hossein Amini, based on the John Le Carré novel | 108 min | ▲▲△△△ Poetry professor Perry (Ewan McGregor) and barrister Gail (Naomie Harris) are a couple in trouble. They head to North Africa to see if a romantic getaway might help their marital strife. There they meet Dima… Read More

Top 10 of 2005 and 2006

August 24, 2015 flawintheiris

In a couple weeks this blog will be five years old. Accordingly, through the coming fortnight I'm gonna be taking a few looks back. As I've done before, I've stumbled upon some material from the vaults: My list of the best movies of 2005 and 2006, a list I put together for my four year movie broadcast… Read More

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation review — Spy thriller franchise hits a high point

July 31, 2015 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, from a story by McQuarrie and Drew Pearce, based on the TV series created by Bruce Gellar | Prime Video We get 19 years, and the fifth entry is the best so far? How is that even possible?!! But it is. I give it a slight edge over the… Read More

A Most Wanted Man review

August 4, 2014 flawintheiris

Directed by Anton Corbijn, written by Andrew Bovell from a John Le Carré novel. As Gunther, a heavy drinking, heavy smoking, cynical and burnt-out German spymaster, Philip Seymour Hoffman has left us yet another character unlike anything else he played. As if his legacy wasn't already solid. Gunther feels at least 20 years older than… Read More

More thoughts on James Bond 007 and Skyfall

November 20, 2012 flawintheiris

As you may have read, I really liked Skyfall. While recognizing how many problems the film has, it really worked as an action movie, and furthered the franchise, I think, by offering a more human, more vulnerable Agent 007. A man with a past. And given the box office, it seems audiences agree. But, wow,… Read More

A Cult of One: The Russia House

September 8, 2012 flawintheiris

Welcome back to this irregular feature on Flaw In The Iris, where I revisit an unheralded or underloved movie in my vault. I'm hoping to explain why the film works and why it deserves a fanbase. I'm also willing to accept I may be the only person to really appreciate the film in question... feel… Read More