A secret agent is asked to travel behind the Iron Curtain and help a man escape to the West. This assignment doesn't fill him with enthusiasm, given the fact that the man he's supposed to help once deliberately betrayed him to the Communists. It was a traumatic experience, especially since the traitor used to be his own friend and mentor...
"Intrigue" is notable mainly for the quality of its casting and its acting, which, taken in conjunction, create a number of very believable protagonists. It's easy to imagine spies and secret agents like these walking our streets by night, conspiring in drab pubs and kvetching about the rising prices of beer. The movie also contains touches of humor, such as an American and a Soviet agent meeting in Venice and commiserating about the bureaucratic indignities of their job. And while we're on the subject of Venice : the viewer does get to enjoy some superb scenery.
However, "Intrigue" does not tell the most captivating or intricate spy yarn ever imagined. At one point it becomes clear that a certain person - I'm trying to avoid too many spoilers - needs to be terminated with extreme prejudice because he knows something dangerous. A clever plot could keep one guessing for hours about the precise nature of this "something", but here the mystery gets solved in a minimum of time with a minimum of effort. This is not the way to generate crackling suspense.
Lastly it needs to be noted that the movie begins with an unsuccessful assassination attempt on our hero. Near the end the viewer still hasn't learned anything about the nationality, motive or identity of the perpetrator. So why create this storyline to begin with ?
"Intrigue" is notable mainly for the quality of its casting and its acting, which, taken in conjunction, create a number of very believable protagonists. It's easy to imagine spies and secret agents like these walking our streets by night, conspiring in drab pubs and kvetching about the rising prices of beer. The movie also contains touches of humor, such as an American and a Soviet agent meeting in Venice and commiserating about the bureaucratic indignities of their job. And while we're on the subject of Venice : the viewer does get to enjoy some superb scenery.
However, "Intrigue" does not tell the most captivating or intricate spy yarn ever imagined. At one point it becomes clear that a certain person - I'm trying to avoid too many spoilers - needs to be terminated with extreme prejudice because he knows something dangerous. A clever plot could keep one guessing for hours about the precise nature of this "something", but here the mystery gets solved in a minimum of time with a minimum of effort. This is not the way to generate crackling suspense.
Lastly it needs to be noted that the movie begins with an unsuccessful assassination attempt on our hero. Near the end the viewer still hasn't learned anything about the nationality, motive or identity of the perpetrator. So why create this storyline to begin with ?