Customer Reviews

The Little Drummer Girl

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

forget the tacky 1980's clothes that Diane Keaton wears, forget the fact that Diane Keaton was a mite too old to be playing the Mata Hari, this is a fantastic spy movie!

A more boiled down verson of the novel by the same name (this is one of the rare example where I think the movie is better than the book) is complex and gritty; a fluid example of the race/religion quagmire that is the State of Israel. Klaus Kinski is absollutely fabulous and subtle in his role as the leader of the Israeli spy team that is trying to hunt down a mysterious bomber (remarkable performance by Sami Frey as the Palestinian bomber) and Diane Keaton, though a little too mature to be playing a somewhat nieve actresss who is recruited to pose as the bomber's brother's lover, plays through her confusion of grappling with her pro-Palestinian political affilations while at the same time working for the Israelis. The supporting cast of characters are equally complex if not extremely present in the movie which adds to the feel and scope of the spy operation that ensues.

The final hour is emotionally engaging and harrowing as is Keaton's eventual nervous breakdown after the bomber is caught. The extent of the spy operation is also grand in scope without being overbearing or, likewise, confusing.
A great movie for a cloudy day when you feel in the mood for a little intrigue!

This 1984 film is based on the novel by John LeCarre and deals with a subject we've all become too familiar with lately: terrorism. Diane Keaton stars as a young woman who's into causes and even though she shows Palestinian sympathies, is still recruited by the Israeli Mosad to become an operative. What follows is an entirely implausible plot that required utmost concentration to follow.

Klaus Kinski played the part of the Israeli leader and even though he is a good actor, his Nordic looks made him hard to believe as an Israeli. Yorgo Voyagis, a handsome Greek actor, played the Israeli agent who gets romantically involved with Keaton. Problem is that their relationship never really sizzled and it was hard to believe she wound up putting herself in so much danger for a cause she felt so lukewarm about or for this man with whom she had few, if any, love scenes with.

I liked Keaton in her role, cast as an actress with a rather ditzy personality. The role called for her displaying her own insecurities as well as courage. She also played it in a way to make it clear that she was attracted more to the adventure and the Israeli agent than she was to the politics.

There's good cinematography and a fine sense of place. Scenes are shot in Germany, England, Greece and the Middle East. It all looks very real. There's a moderate amount of tension, especially near the end, but the story itself lacks believability and emotional intensity.

Times have changed since the film was produced, which was groundbreaking then because it showed the moral ambiguity and savage methods used by both the Israelis and Palestinians. The computers the characters used were the latest technology then too, but I had to smile the black and white monitors and dot matrix printers. Watching the film is a trip back into the past with overtones that are all too true in the present. And it's sad to note that the conflict it deals with has grown in intensity since.

This film is unavailable from Block Buster or NetFlix or the library system. It is too important to be abandoned. I don't know why, if it is considered politically incorrect or too hot to handle, or what. John La Carre wrote without an agenda, showing both sides, warts and all. I plan to loan it to as many people as will watch it.
Sandi

George Roy Hill's film of John Le Carre's The Little Drummer Girl was, like most Le Carre adaptations, a big box-office disappointment in 1984 and has long since pretty much disappeared from sight (it's currently only on DVD in Germany). Its plot isn't the easiest of sells, it's true: to track down and kill a Palestinian terrorist, Mossad trick an actress and Palestinian sympathiser into becoming their own undercover agent, in the process revealing and stripping away the inventions and deceits she has carefully cultivated to hide her own lack of a sense of self and creating a new, equally false persona.

On one level it's old ground for the author with another damaged and emotionally immature protagonist providing ideal cannon fodder for the spy game, but it's also one of Le Carre's more personal novels - the absent and less than honest father is clearly based on Le Carre's own while the heroine was so heavily inspired by his half-sister Charlotte Cornwall that it caused something of a backlash against the film when a badly miscast Diane Keaton got the role instead (though there was never any prospect of Cornwall getting the lead in a big-budget globe-trotting thriller from a major Hollywood studio to begin with). It doesn't help that the script highlights her limitations as an actress - her English accent is terrible (even the German and Israeli actors can pronounce Nottingham properly), her delivery of Shaw and Shakespeare in the theatre scenes amateurish and every line that contains the words `I believe' brings out a nasty rash of overacting. She has her moments but even allowing for the fact that she's playing an actress doesn't excuse the weaker moments that undo her best work elsewhere in the film and sporadically threaten to take you out of the story.

It's a particular shame because there's enough meat in the role - a compulsive liar constantly turning her past into a fictional romantic tragedy, passionately believing in the causes of others to fill the void in herself - that a better actress could have elevated the film a couple of notches beyond the okay espionage procedural thriller it is to the darker character study it could have been. As it stands it's a mixture of a few strong moments and a few awkward ones with the bulk of the film efficiently filling in the gaps without any particular distinction.

Politically at least it's more balanced than you might expect: the Mossad agents openly lie and manipulate her with little regard for anything but their own aims despite their displays of bonhomie as they exploit her desperate need for a cause and a surrogate family to belong to while, with the exception of OTT German neo-Nazi hellfrau Helga, who seems to have wandered in from an old WW2 movie, the Palestinians generally avoid easy stereotyping. Everything is wrapped up a little too neatly, but it's never less than watchable and there's a strong supporting turn from a sympathetic Klaus Kinski while a few unexpected familiar faces like Bill Nighy and David Suchet turn up in the supporting cast.

The PAL German DVD has no extras but boasts a decent 1.85:1 transfer with English soundtrack.

I recommend this movie. Dianne Keaton does a great job, along with Yorgo Voyagis and Klaus Kinski. This is a super story of a young girl caught up in International Intrigue! Watch for David Suchet (Hercule Poirot). A good show!

The Little Drummer Girl is a lesser known Diane Keaton film but what a gem. When one thinks of Diane Keaton they might think of a chick flick or comedy but she does a great job in this unusual and quite serious role. The movie it action filled for those who like a fast moving gritty flick and insightful as to the inner workings of the middle east conflict. Little Drummer Girl would be rated high among it's viewers if more people saw it and it had more exposure.

There have been few movies that capture the taste of war and life within terrorist cells. This comes closer to real life than anything I have ever seen. The lead character's confusion is felt by the viewer and the ending leave the haunt of the hunt intact.

This is LeCarre's greatest post-cold-war novel.

The script is true to the book, although the story has been trimmed to fit its showing time. The character of Alex is omitted, unfortunately, and I missed him. The opening beach party scenes on Mykonos have also been omitted, again unfortunately, since the interplay of the beach bums contributed to Charlie's character.

But elsewise, the story holds true. Actors are perfect, especially Kurtz and 'Joseph.'

Excellent production values. Glad to finally see it on DVD.


--Jay

This movie makes you wonder what will happen next. Diane Keaton does an excellent job as a spy. I feel this movie is a classic which will be around for a long time. If you like spy suspense you will enjoy this movie.

I think this is a great movie! Dianne Keaton and Yorgo Voyagis are outstanding! Also watch for David Suchet (Hercule Poirot)! The young actress (Keaton) is recruited for a dangerous secret mission. It is very realistic and exciting. I recommend it.