It's not often a movie is this darkly disturbing with interminable events endlessly documenting a Cold War spy story. Based on the best-selling novel, "The Innocent" never quite achieves thriller status, instead focusing on the harrowing experiences of a young man (Campbell Scott) coming of age in a dangerous world. Anthony Hopkins plays an arrogant, stogie-smoking American intelligence officer named Glass; Scott is Leonard, a geeky British telephone engineer hired to infiltrate Russian communications; Isabella Rossellini is a German seductress, Maria, who lures the naive Leonard into her strange world. Its cast is strong, but this film noir never reaches a point of resolution, leaving one groping with black images of despair and violence that linger.
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Isabella Rossellini and Campbell Scott. Directed by John Schlesinger. Written by Ian McEwan. Produced by Norma Heyman, Chris Sievernich and Welland Schulz-Keil. A Miramax release. Thriller. Rated R for sexuality, brief language and a sequence of violence. Running time: 112 min.
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