John Schlesinger (director)
101 Films (studio)
Cert 15 (certificate)
126min (length)
16 October 2015 (released)
29 November 2015
This 1985 spy drama, based on the true story of Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, stars a then very young Timothy Hutton and equally young Sean Penn as two unlikely buddies who scored fame and notoriety by selling top secret U.S. security documents to the Soviets.
When former altar boy and Catholic seminary student Chris Boyce (T. Hutton) seems to spend more time tending to his hobby of falconry (hence his nickname ‘Falcon’), daddy Boyce (Pat Hingle) decides it’s about time his son get a proper job and sorts him out with employment as a civilian defence contractor. At first, Chris is admittedly excited over the prospect of working in the so-called ‘Black Vault’ of RTX, an ultra-secure communication facility which handles top secret info of worldwide U.S. operations. However, his excitement soon turns to disappointment and frustration after having read messages that imply the CIA of double-dealings. Appalled, Chris decides to sell on some of these secrets to the Soviets. Enter Andrew Daulton Lee (S. Penn), an old high school friend of Chris… apart from wealthy backgrounds the two young men couldn’t be more different were jobs and ambitions are concerned: Andrew has been a drug dealer since school days and still deals in coke and heroin (hence his nickname ‘Snowman’) with the ambition of eventually settling down in Costa Rica for a life of ease and plenty. Both Chris and Andrew form an unlikely alliance with plans of contacting and dealing with the Russian Embassy/KGB in Mexico in order to sell US government secrets. Seeing how Mexico is no strange place to Andrew (who smuggles drugs across borders on a regular basis), Chris entrusts Andrew with the mission of making the vital first contact. Unlike Chris, however, Andrew is less interested in political motivations and more about the potential money-making factor of things – looking upon the ‘spy game’ as a convenient way to earn enough for an early retirement.
At first, Andrew succeeds and soon the pair get their Mexican-based contact in the shape of Soviet handler Alex (David Suchet) who puts up with the antics of an increasingly erratic and constantly ‘high’ Andrew. Soon though, Andrew’s drug addiction and unrealistic plans to create an almighty espionage empire put Chris’ careful efforts not to leave traces in great jeopardy. When things get out of hand Chris decides that enough is enough and ‘releases’ Andrew of his position. He then makes his way to meet Alex and explains his decision that he wants out of being an informant for the Soviets – but Alex points out that he and Andrew are in too deep! Indeed, getting out of this potentially dangerous situation is not as easy as hoped… and soon, Chris and Andrew must pay a high price for what they did…
The film, set in the 1970’s, is thrilling, entertaining, tense and chilling. While it’s somehow easier to understand the actions of the disillusioned Chris, it’s harder to sympathise with loose cannon Andrew whose irresponsible and selfish doings put not only himself at risk but even more so his buddy Chris. Suffice to say, both Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn in particular are spot-on casting!
As expected from a seasoned actor such as David Suchet, his no-nonsense portrayal of Soviet handler Alex is aloof, calculating and forceful. Director Schlesinger has done a great job in re-creating one of Americas biggest espionage scandals, with David Bowie’s famed ‘This is not America’ soundtrack adding further poignancy.