The Deadly Affair

For an espionage thriller I like a lot, The Deadly Affair is also one of the most frustrating. The movie is based on John le Carre's first book, Call for the Dead. It introduced his readers to George Smiley. For some... Full review

The Deadly Affair is one of the better John Le Carre screen adaptations. Based on 'Call For the Dead,' the title's not the only name change: though he's called Charles Dobbs here, James Mason is really George Smiley while Maximilian Schell's... Full review

This is actually a very good spy thriller. It's one of my favorites. The movie is suspenseful, the action is good for its time, and the acting is excellent. Some may find it too slow for today's tastes, but action, spectacle... Full review

This film is a time-tunnel trip to a Cold-War-Spy-Thriller movie era and there lies its rather faded charm. A thriller with superficial political innuendos, not hard to guess plot twists, and then unpronounceable sex issues (nymphomania, just mentioned very obliquely of... Full review

This enjoyable film captures the spirit of Le Carré's first novel very well. Lumet and Young's "preflashing" technique and their cinematic sensibilities fill the screen with the proper gloomy Sixties British atmosphere--in the weather, in the exterior scenes, in the sets,... Full review

Glum London backdrops and washed-out color match British secret agent Charles Dobbs' (James Mason) despair at the infidelity of his nymphomaniac wife and the possible murder of a likeable and idealistic Foreign Office civil servant. Slightly dated yet still exciting cold... Full review

A complex, suspenseful, and sometimes surprisingly funny spy thriller by master director Sidney Lumet ("12 Angry Men", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Running on Empty"). The picture has a really brilliant cast, including James Mason, Simone Signoret, Maximilian... Full review

The Deadly Affair is not for the spell-things-out James Bond crowd, but those willing to stick with it will find the experience rewarding, if ultimately depressing. John LeCarre's Call for the Dead was the basis for this gloomy, complex spy story. ... Full Review