The Kremlin Letter | Rotten Tomatoes

The Kremlin Letter

PG

1970

1 hr. 53 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

Reviews

62%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

When an unauthorized letter is sent to Moscow alleging the U.S. government's willingness to help Russia attack China, former naval officer Charles Rone (Patrick O'Neal) and his team are sent to retrieve it. They go undercover, successfully reaching out to Erika Kosnov (Bibi Andersson), the wife of a former agent, now married to the head of Russia's secret police (Max von Sydow). Their plans are interrupted, however, when their Moscow hideout is raided by a cunning politician (Orson Welles).

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Oliver M

Smileys People Slow Horses……and spies who never came in from the cold. Ethan Hunt would never accept the mission at the end.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A solid spy movie that focuses on a long operation rather than the usual short, in-and-out operation that many spy movies focus on. Unfortunately, this leads to some tedium and lack of focus by the director in the telling of the story. The twists and turns, backstabbing and moving parts are well managed and the story can be followed. Not a lot of action to carry the story, and the voice over Russian translations are spotty in some sections, which can be a little disorientating. Still, entertaining.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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delysid d

complicated as hell cold war spy film, there are lots of them

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/27/19

Full Review

Audience Member

Waited 44 years to see this again. Holds up well. Best spy movie, ever.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Although usually dismissed as a misfire, The Kremlin Letter is a talky, but engaging, thriller with lavish cinematography and a marvelous screenplay, all wrapped up in a nice bow with the hands of unsinkable film veteran John Huston.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a dirty rotten low-down movie about dirty rotten low-down people. And delicious. The plot: 5 Americans sent out to infiltrate the Moscow sex-and-drugs underworld to retrieve an incriminating document. Viewing tips: Try not to pay too much attention to the fate of the letter itself; that's just the McGuffin. I think an over-concentration on the letter is what turned off many reviewers when the movie was released. Let it go. It isn't really about the letter; it's about personal betrayal. Stories are told about the old days of espionage, of people and incidents. It's great to have a film with a rich sense of history, and this works well to provide context and atmosphere, but it's actually more than that; try to pay close attention. It'll pay off. OK, some of it's hokey around the edges; again, let it go. General notes: It's closely based on a novel by Noel Behn--descendant of Aphra Behn (d. 1698), the first woman in history to make a living playwriting. She was also a foreign spy for Charles II. Perhaps it's ironic (or genetic) that, as Wikipedia says, "[B]iographer Janet Todd noted that Behn 'has a lethal combination of obscurity, secrecy and staginess which makes her an uneasy fit for any narrative, speculative or factual. She is not so much a woman to be unmasked as an unending combination of masks'". What a cast list(!) They all give sterling performances, there are no star turns here. Using all their considerable talents, they completely inhabit their characters. But you have to give it up for the star turn by the spectacular and wonderful Richard Boone. It also has one of the best abduction scenes ever--dynamic, surprising and excruciatingly suspenseful, worthy of the best Hitchcock.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

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John Huston

Director

Bibi Andersson

Erika Kosnov

Richard Boone

Ward

Nigel Green

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Dean Jagger

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Lila Kedrova

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A tedious effort by director and writer John Huston.

Rated: C

Apr 26, 2002

Full Review

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Synopsis

When an unauthorized letter is sent to Moscow alleging the U.S. government's willingness to help Russia attack China, former naval officer Charles Rone (Patrick O'Neal) and his team are sent to retrieve it. They go undercover, successfully reaching out to Erika Kosnov (Bibi Andersson), the wife of a former agent, now married to the head of Russia's secret police (Max von Sydow). Their plans are interrupted, however, when their Moscow hideout is raided by a cunning politician (Orson Welles).

Director: John Huston
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2012

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