The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965)

 Martin Ritt's "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold"


Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carre, Martin Ritt's 1965 "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" is yet another great film that exemplifies Cold War paranoia. Starring the incomparable Richard Burton, the film follows a British spy infiltrating the East German Intelligence Service. Although it did not rake in a substantial box office receipt, it received a few Academy Award nominations and remains a sought after artifact of its era.

Although we are loosely told the nature of our protagonist's mission, there are specificities that are kept from the audience. So, certain plot points are left for us to determine if they are indeed part of the 'mission' or not, leaving a certain level of suspense and uncertainty to the mission's success or failure. This creates more drama than a typical spy film in which you are simply watching them try to execute a laid-out plan.

However, the big thematic takeaway for me is the true tactful nature of what Cold War really looks like. As opposed to a James Bond movie in which spies are more like hired hitmen, our protagonist, Alec Leamas, feels more like a normal man being used as a pawn in a macro chess game. Gun fights are instead replaced with mind games and judiciary decision making. 

To me, "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" is a very bleak examination of the Cold War, in which moral decay can be attributed to all sides: U.S. and Soviet / capitalism and communism, etc. The ushering in of a new format of 'war' and what that means all lie in the thematic confines of the film. Because of this, the film remains a prime artistic expression of this phenomenon. 



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