Archangel (2005) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Archangel" is a treat for fans of mystery, international intrigue, and the spy genre. Shot in the dead of winter in Russia the film is visually stunning and eye opening to the beauty of the country. Before you watch the film make a big mug of hot chocolate and jump into your "Snuggy" and hunker down in your favorite chair, for I assure you the Russian winter transcends the television screen and will envelop you as you watch the movie.
The story is a complex and dangerous tale involving a race to find the illegitimate son of Stalin. It is a wild idea that somehow seems almost possible and certainly is filled with exciting possibilities as the story unfolds. All involved in this film do their very best to make it work and in the end they succeed.
Daniel Craig is just wonderful in his role as the Dr. Kelso, a bookish expert on Stalin and communist Russia who is drawn into an adventure of a lifetime during a conference in Moscow. Released just a year before "Casino Royale" Mr. Craig shows his range in this early foray into Bond like territory. His performance is as solid to the bone as it is captivating and even at times, moving. He carries the film with ease, and draws another memorable character in his impressive list of credits. .
The only disappointment for me was that "Archangel" being made for British television is not presented in widescreen. If you are a fan of Daniel Craig's you are in for a treat, if you are a fan of adventure, action, and mystery this is a must for your DVD collection


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Item Name: Archangel; Studio:Allumination

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The Company (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Robert Littell's The Company is a massive novel that follows the history of the CIA from post WWII to the end of the cold war. As long as three books, this novel is rich and full of characterization. So it's obvious that any such book would be hard to bring to the screen, large or small. The TNT TV version, at around 4 1/2 hours, tried hard, but didn't do justice to the book. It sometimes seems like an outline of the book, and so much is left out, that the action moves too quickly, changing locations and characters, making it hard to follow. This is more so in the early part of the series; the last 1/3 focuses on a more limited situation, the attempt to find a CIA mole.
Suffering from overbearing music that is way too loud in the early parts (which makes you wonder why the music was toned down so much in the last third), and characters who are supposed to age about thirty years, but look only a few years older, The Company is, nevertheless, good TV. It will keep your attention, and the intrigue is interesting, but be prepared to give it a chance; it's hard to follow at the beginning. The acting is good, the sets and locations interesting, and the plot - good vs evil - works well, especially since we already know who won the cold war.
But if you like this mini-series, do read the book - it is probably the best spy novel I've ever read, and is so much more interesting than this over-short TV version. No film could do it justice, but I can't help but think that a couple more hours could have saved this from its weaknesses.

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Product Description: The TV miniseries event of the year, The Company is an exciting new star-studded thriller from Tony and Ridley Scott. The Company depicts the history of the CIA, from the dawn of the Cold War to the demise of the Soviet Union.

Plot Synopsis: The Company tells the story of Jack McCauliffe (O’Donnell), an idealistic Yale graduate recruited into the CIA by his coach. He’s sent to the legendary Berlin Base in Germany to work with a man who becomes his mentor: the eccentric and colorful Harvey Torriti (Molina), codename "The Sorcerer". Jack and The Sorcerer are imprisoned in double lives, fighting an elusive but formidable enemy in an unrelenting and deadly battle within the CIA itself. Together with the counterintelligence chief, James Angleton (Keaton), the three men are hell-bent on finding the moles within their own ranks before every operation they undertake is completely undermined. However, Jack is forever changed as he must witness the cost in human lives.

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