The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Reviews Counted: 13
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 1
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 5,044
Movie Info
Based on the novel by John Le Carre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold stars Richard Burton as a dispirited, end-of-tether British secret agent. He comes in from "the cold" (meaning he is pulled out of field operations) to act as a undercover man behind the Iron Curtain. To make his staged defection seem genuine, Burton goes on an alcoholic toot and is imprisoned and publicly humiliated. Once he has been accepted into East German espionage circles, Burton discovers that what he thought was his
Jan 1, 1965 Wide
Jul 13, 2004
Paramount Pictures
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Cast
-
Richard Burton
Alec Leamas -
Claire Bloom
Nan Perry -
Oskar Werner
Fiedler -
Sam Wanamaker
Peters -
George Voskovec
East German Defense ... -
Rupert Davies
George Smiley -
Cyril Cusack
Control -
Peter van Eyck
Hans-Dieter Mundt -
Michael Hordern
Ashe -
Robert Hardy
Carlton -
Bernard Lee
Patmore -
Beatrix Lehmann
President of Tribuna... -
Esmond Knight
Old Judge -
Tom Stern
CIA Agent -
Niall MacGinnis
Guard -
George Mikell
German Checkpoint Gu... -
Scot Finch
German Guide -
Anne Blake
Miss Crail -
Richard Marner
Vopo Captain -
Warren Mitchell
Mr. Zanfrello -
Steve Plytas
East German Judge -
Marianne Deeming
Frau Floerdke -
Walter Gotell
Holten -
Richard Caldicot
Mr. Pitt -
David Bauer
Young Judge -
Katherine Keeton
Stripper -
Edward Harvey
Man in the Shop -
Michael Ritterman
Security Officer -
Nancy Nevinson
Mrs. Zanfrello -
Michael Ripper
Lofthouse -
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All Critics (13) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (2) | DVD (13)
An excellent contemporary espionage drama of the Cold War which achieves solid impact via emphasis on human values, total absence of mechanical spy gimmickry, and perfectly controlled underplaying.
Top CriticWhat finally impresses, however, is the sheer seediness of so much of the film, with characters, buildings, and landscapes lent convincingly grubby life by Oswald Morris' excellent monochrome camera-work.
The film makes you believe it could have happened. And that's the remarkable thing.
Grim, monotonous, and rather facile, though Richard Burton's aging agent has some honest poignancy.
This pitch-perfect adaptation of John le Carré's best-seller captures the Cold War in all its chilly complexity ... Burton delivers a towering performance that's second only to his turn in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as the finest of his career.
Self-consciously dour where the James Bond movies were insouciantly callous.
Brilliant depiction of humanity's foibles
Ritt helms one of the better spy dramas.
Grim and beautifuly shot in black and white by Oswald Morris, Martin's Ritt's spy drama features a great, Oscar-nominated performance from Richard Burton, reflecting the surrounding Cold War culture.
Sad and chilly.
Burton's burnt out turn is one of the best of his career.
Audience Reviews for The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
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Foreign Titles
- Der Spion, der aus der Kälte kam (DE)
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (UK)
