The Company

A cold war is a cold war. I have a theory. One of the screenwriters likes Mailer’s “Harlot’s Ghost" and also watched The Good Shephard and Thirteen Days. Then he disappeared for days in the archive and eventually came out with material that was suitable to be recast into a celluloid gem. But then somebody said stop, that’s too little for the viewers. And the result was this. The reality is of course completely different, because this (supposedly) is a very faithful adaptation of the novel by Robert Littell. But if I ignore reality and believe my own, as this miniseries has taught me, then everything comes down to how you present disinformation. If you do it sufficiently convincingly, then that disloyal whore (aka the truth) is on your side. But the creators just didn’t manage to convince me with their “truths". They get it wrong in the details and so the whole thing falls apart. All Russians speak English to each other even in Moscow. But with a world-famous (read ridiculous) Hollywood accent on top (in broad public, even in the times of cruelest Stalinism). The same applies to Cubans in Havana etc. But that could be forgiven. The fact that everything is shot too effectually and film-like (in a negative sense), is unforgiveable. I will not compare it with Mailer’s masterpiece mentioned above; it wouldn’t be absolutely fair to compare the almost thousand-page, two-part novel with a four and a half hour TV production (even though that comparison is tantalizing). But I have no qualms about comparing it with The Good Shepherd. And, in all respects, De Niro’s work comes out as the clear winner. He manages to get the same message across in half the time and much less pushily. The Company is a calculated movie with very fluctuating quality that can enthrall, sometimes devastate and thrill with some its acting performances. But not all, it’s true. For instance, Chris O’Donnell may no longer be the tragic, unlikable jerk as he used to be, but he still has something lacking that robs him of actor status. Specifically, charisma and at least a tiny bit of talent. In view of the fact that he has to carry everything on his back for some two hundred ninety minutes, it’s a mystery why they casted him. Plus, the screenplay makes him play the character of a “real American boy" so clearly that it hurts. But still, I would venture to say that with the theme and the cast this could potentially have climbed a rung higher on the quality ladder. Or maybe even two rungs. What am I saying... Not just potentially, but certainly. All they had to do was to decide whether to stick to the realistic storyline of “how it could have been" or to the more alluring one that lacks ambition. However, both approaches together, in this situation just don’t work. (06/04/2008)

Investigation, hiding, suspicion, intrigue, but also genuine bloody action that takes your breath away. The company offers everything. Everything you can expect from a war. Battles that captivate, betrayals that disappoint, and plans that occasionally send chills down your spine. All of this in a script that is so clever that throughout the entire runtime (and especially in the intense final episode) your mind will be blown, just to make everything fit perfectly. 85% (08/31/2008)

The first part of the trilogy, set in Berlin divided by the Iron Curtain, sets the bar quite high. I had the feeling that it was a miniseries with a clever story, excellent cast, thrilling action scenes, and a big budget, which therefore has all the prerequisites for a high rating. However, the second episode sobered me up, and watching the third left me with a lot of doubts because according to the resolution, the creators have some strange ideas about the world of espionage. History knows only two cases of penetration of a Soviet mole into the CIA. The screenwriter plays with the idea of ​​the third most cunning and sophisticated infiltration, a certain American Kim Philby (who also has his role in the story). Of course, we only know stories of exposed spies and it cannot be ruled out that there were those who escaped attention and lived on peacefully, but the outcome of the plot that the creators present is rather amusing. The miniseries does not represent an opposing pole to masterpieces like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (that opposing pole consists more of popcorn movies like Bond or Mission Impossible), but it does provide proof that a promising development is not enough and that it is also necessary to master the ending. I would note for myself that one of the biggest CIA debacles - the failed Bay of Pigs invasion - was certainly not caused by a leak of information, but by a completely wrong estimate of the mood of the Cuban population and a failure in analyzing the conditions and capabilities of the Cuban regime. Overall impression: 60%. (01/14/2016)

Excellent miniseries. I would like to highlight the absolutely perfect Michael Keaton, who managed to fit seamlessly into the role of the anal-retentive James Angleton. I enjoyed his monologues so much. (03/30/2010)

This extraordinary TV miniseries, charting the CIA's biggest blunders during the Cold War, is surprising firstly in that it was not made by HBO. A superbly woven mosaic of real events with fictional characters seems as if it had come from the pen of the master of political thrillers, Frederick Forsyth. TNT spared no expense on the production design, and skilled TV craftsman Mikael Salomon proves that he has this stuff down pat. The first episode is more of a taster, but the second episode manages to show two messed up anti-Bolshevik revolutions (Hungary, Cuba). The final episode doesn't deal with anything groundbreaking, but it does give way to the most interesting character of the entire series, who is Michael Keaton's "Mother." With a perpetual cigarette, notes plastered on the office wall, and slow diction, Mother will literally charm you. Only the character of the cheerful American agent (played by the wooden O’Donnell) is beyond my ability to stomach. 4 ½. (05/25/2011)