Search - The Looking Glass War on DVD

Cold War performance from Christopher Jones

gobirds2 | New England | 10/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent cold war film competently acted, well scripted and neatly directed. It is a superb adaptation of John Le Carré's best-selling novel. Paranoia runs rampant here. Christopher Jones is brilliant as the civilian turned spy. Christopher Jones should have gone on to greater things. His pinnacle as an actor came in David Lean's epic "RYAN'S DAUGHTER." Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Richardson are also featured."

Good Spy Flick

Uncle Chino | New Zealand | 01/30/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just finished watching The Looking Glass War. I had never heard of this movie but I am a big fan of John LeCarre and his books and movies. This movie is definitely up to par with the others though I put Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy at the top of any realistic or true spy/espionage movie with The Russia House at the bottom of the list.

This movie stars Anthony Hopkins and a very young Christopher Jones. It is very much a LeCarre movie and is not about the action, though it has some. It is slow of pace at times but not in a bad way. It is more of a character study than a James Bond type movie. The movie delves more into the dirty dark and nasty side of of the spy game and the use of human beings as fodder for an ends to a means.

Good performances all around and a good movie. Check it out."

Was this film made ten years too early?

David Thomson | Houston, TX USA | 07/09/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Looking Glass War is a mediocre film. I got the impression that the producers were not sufficiently committed to the project. John Le Carre's name may not have been so marketable as it was a few years later. It's ironic that Christopher Jones is barely known to anyone under the age of fifty. Many thought he would become a major star. The same holds true for Pia Degermark. Both Jones and she, in real life, endured many wasted years of drug abuse. Still, one wonders if they had enough acting talent to play roles that did not revolve around their gorgeous and youthful looks. Oh well, we will never know. Anthony Hopkins who was merely a supporting actor, needless to add, is vastly more famous.

What is the movie about? Christopher Jones portrays a Polish immigrant wishing to remain in Great Britain. The secret service will help him achieve this goal if he will become a spy. They want him to sneak into East Germany and take pictures of military installations. This offer never makes any sense. Anthony Hopkins helps to train Jones' character and eventually become his friend. The great Ralph Richardson stars as the over the hill spy master wanting to relive the excitement of his earlier World War II days. Some reviewers claim that The Looking Glass War was heavily edited. This theory seems plausible. The unfolding of this story will constantly bewilder any rational thinking person. Who should see this movie? Anthony Hopkins fans will enjoy his superb work. He alone almost makes the effort worthwhile. What if you just want to watch an engrossing spy yarn? If that's the case, look for another film. Give The Looking Glass War a pass."

Classic British Cold War Fare

Nick | Margate, FL | 03/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What does a classic cold war movie need? To my mind, a shot of the West End of London, some cynical, dead-pan British spies, a plot from a Le Carre novel and a few shots of Eastern Europe (probably filmed in Essex or some such place). Add a dashing youngster to offset the cynics and, of course, a nasty ending leaving little room for faith in human nature. You have a classic.If you like Harry Palmer of the Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin and the Billion Dollar Brain, chances are you'll love this. If you are a James Bond fan, maybe not. This is for the lover of the anti-hero spy rather than the dashing secret agent.Two thumbs up as far as I'm concerned."