The Russia House (1990)

Sorry, this movie sucks

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

hyped garbage

Good movie but grossly overrated

God, this movie sucked.Sean Connery walks through the film acting like he believes in the terrible script. Michelle Pfieffer stinks, especially her dippy Russian accent (sometimes she says "him", sometimes she says "heem"). Roy Scheider proves that he isn't bothered by having to spout vulgarity every five seconds. And the rest of the cast -- well, who the hell cares?Question to director Fred Schepisi, Shapiro, Spaghetti, whatever.... Didn't you think the theme music would get just a little bit ANNOYING if you played it constantly during the film's duration? Let me answer that question for you: NO! DUH! So much for director Fred Scampi.The kind of flick they play on airplanes so you'll fall asleep and keep your mouth shut until landing.

I am a huge fan of John le Carre novels and only recently found out that this movie had been made. Having only recently read the book I was nervously excited about this. I was nervous because the book is extremely complex and was worried about how this would transfer to film. I also wasn't sure that I could see Connery and Pfeiffer in the leading roles but I was delighted to have my fears crushed by an extremely accomplished performance all round. The acting, the script, the location shots and musical score fitted absolutely perfectly. Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer were fantastic in their roles which I genuinely didn't expect. The story is complex and takes a fair amount of concentration and discipline to follow - but it's worth it if you want to make the most of this grossly underrated adaptation that's true to form and loyal to Le Carre's style.

I have read a few John Le Carre books (although not The Russia House) and was not as impressed as most other people seemed to be. People say that the movie is slow and cerebral (and it is) but really that is how Le Carre's books read. Sean Connery never puts in a bad performance, and neither does Michelle Pfeiffer. And it never hurts that she is sooooo beautiful. Klaus Maria Brandauer is also always good and still is here. The problem is the script, which relates back to the source material. It is a little bit of a bore. Not badly, just a bit. It looks like the filmmakers were so proud to be filming in the USSR, that they went a little overboard. Not every place in Russia is St. Basil's and the Winter Palace. Overall the film is OK.

Directed by Fred Schepisi, "The Russia House" should be more like "The Russia Bore". It is a failure of a story with ultra-slow pacing and devoid of needed tension. I seem to recall this coming to the theater and reading a drubbing by critics at the time. That drubbing is likely warranted. The only redeeming factor here in a small way is the inter-cut and backdrop shots of Moscow and Leningrad. It feels much like a travelogue, and although dated over 20 years ago, has a historical and almost rustic feel. But this isn't nearly enough. Some other problems are the complete lack of romance/chemistry between Michelle Pheiffer and Connery, easily old enough to be her Father. The whole espionage vantage feels punch-less. And the music is monotonous and tacky. Can't recommend it, although there are certainly worse movies out there. 5/10