Le Serpent
1973 Thriller
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Credits
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Summary
On his arrival in Paris, a KGB officer Colonel Vlassov declares his intention to defect
to the West. In the CIA headquarters, he gives away the names of a number of KGB
agents who occupy senior positions within NATO. Before the CIA can take any action,
a number of agents are found dead in Germany, ostensibly victims of a purge by the German
secret service. Philip Boyle, agent of the UK intelligence service, passes on the
names of two other suspected double agents to Lucien Berthon, assistant director of French
counter-espionage. Berthon becomes the next victim in a carefully calculated game
of intrigue. But who is pulling the strings and what is the objective?
Review
This slick political thriller from Henri Verneuil evokes the mood of the Cold War of the
1960s and 1970s and was inspired by several high-profile real-life incidents, such as
the Burgess, MacLean and Philby affair. Le Serpent
features an international cast of some highly regarded actors including
Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Dirk Bogarde and Philippe Noiret – something which adds greatly
to its appeal and sense of authenticity. The complexity of the plot is something
of a turn off, and sometimes the exposition feels contrived (for instance, the film relies
far too much on voiceover to explain what is happening). Also, the narrative feels
uneven and disjointed, with some of the subplots (such as the one featuring Noiret) seems
to have been “cut and pasted” from another film. That said, Verneuil does a good
job of maintaining the audience’s interest, through some stylish camerawork and a few
impressive set-piece action scenes.
© James Travers 2006 Write a review for this film... |
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