Director: George Roy Hill
Starring: Diane Keaton, Klaus Kinski
Running Time: 132 minutes
Synopsis: Agent Martin Kurtz (Klaus Kinski) of Israel's Mossad is eager to capture shadowy Palestinian bombmaker Khalil. He decides to manipulate naive American theatre actress Charlie (Diane Keaton), a supporter of the Palestinian cause, to infiltrate the Palestinian hierarchy. Mossad agent Joseph (Yorgo Voyagis) is tasked with romancing Charlie, and eventually she agrees to help, believing she is contributing to peace efforts. Charlie's assignment is to pretend to have been the lover of Khalil's brother, earning her a stint in Lebanese training camps. But the threat of violence is never far, and Charlie finds herself in harm's way and emotionally conflicted.
What Works Well: This adaptation of John le Carré's novel delves into the long-lasting Middle East conflict with an unapologetically opaque attitude. The Loring Mandel script explains as little as possible, leaving many dots to be connected and encouraging confusion and disorientation as a representation of Charlie's whirlwind experience. She is a minor pawn in a much larger game, but her passion, acting skills, and ability to lie make her a useful fool to be exploited by both sides. Director George Roy Hill maintains good momentum as the action trots across Europe and the Middle East, all moving towards a climax filled with victims but no closer to any meaningful resolutions.
What Does Not Work As Well: Charlie's turning point in eventually agreeing to help the Mossad is relatively unconvincing. Overall, it's quite possible to get completely lost within the mazy narrative. Character definitions, intentions, and allegiances (not to mention names) are slippery and changeable, consistent with the spy world but resulting in a dense cinematic experience.
Key Quote:
Joseph: I've lied to you as little as possible. You're with us for a good reason.
Charlie: Yeah, who's us?
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