El inocente

This movie has three serious flaws. It never finds a focus, (ultimately, I cared very little about any of the characters), it has the always fateful flaw of dialog that gets lost in whispered tones or buried beneath the score or SFX, and finally ... WHY, in heaven's name is Anthony Hopkins using his not-so-convincing American accent to play a character that could have been played better by half-a-dozen American actors? And I'm a Hopkins fan! Sorry, it just doesn't work. Although it tries to be both a suspense and love story, it accomplishes neither. That's all the more frustrating when the end arrives with what I assume is an homage to Casablanca. The whole thing is poorly focused and generally weak, despite solid performances by Isabella and Scott.

I don't go out of my way usually to see John Schlessinger movies-somehow Sunday, Bloody, Sunday never had the impact on me, that it did on others. In fact, I always have to remind myself that Herr. Schlesinger directed Cold Comfort Farm, seeing as I enjoyed it immensely.

Why then am I watching The Innocent? Two immediate reasons come to mind. First, my affinity for The Comfort of Strangers has sent me on a mission to find all adapted Ian McEwan novels. Second, the fact that Campbell Scott stars is something to which I immediately find appealing.

In recent years I've decided that Scott will soon become an important American actor…his almost genius cameos in The Daytrippers, and Big Night (which he also co-directed) as well as his starring role in David Mamet's Spanish Prisoner lend me to believe the young man is indeed on his way.

The film itself, unfortunately pales in comparison to a startling, brilliant piece of work like Comfort of Strangers. Anthony Hopkins is miscast as an American CIA agent, the story is shallow and uneven.

On to the next McEwan work.

I like watching this film every time they repeat it on TV, because I can't stop counting the dozens of references to "Casablanca".

My favourite is without doubt the final - guess what? - airport scene, where Isabella Rossellini (Elsa, err, Ingrid Bergman's daughter!) gets on board the propeller-engined plane, this time (surprise, surprise!) with the aging American and leaving behind the boring spy-guy, who is (dramatic change of scriptbook) not Czech, but British.

There are a couple guys whose movies I will automatically see if possible: Gene Hackman and Anthony Hopkins. Because the latter was in this one, I gave it a go. Unfortunately, I never bought into his character. It's not for the effort made by a wonderful actor. It's a bad casting choice. He seems out of place. I'm also intrigued by the guy whose job it is to be involved in espionage, ignoring the warnings of his superiors. Hopkins knows this guys every move and knows that he has become an imperfect cog in the works. Granted, this goes back many years and the sophistication of the world of the spy has changed, but there is so much carelessness here. We also have fragile characters who probably should never have been signed up for this job. Anyway, when Hopkins' character moves in, I just never buy it. I also never buy the business of creating a relationship, only to betray it and ultimately gain nothing from it. This is a poor man's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." It is so lacking on so many levels. It also has a pretty schmaltzy ending which I won't betray. See what you think.

In 1955, Berlin is completely crowded of spies of different nationalities. The British civilian Leonard Markham (Campbell Scott) is requested to support an American – British joint-venture in a secret project leaded by the American Robert Glass (Anthony Hopkins) due to his knowledge of electronics. Afterhours, in his spare time, the naive Leonard meets the divorced Maria (Isabella Rossellini) in a night-club and they have an affair, falling in love for each other. However, Otto (Ronald Nitschke), the former husband of Maria, threatens and blackmails her, affecting the personal life and the professional performance of Leonard, culminating in a difficult situation for him. "The Innocent" is a surprisingly good love story in times of cold war. While in "Casablanca" the elegant Rick Blaine spontaneously sacrifices his love for Ilsa Lund Laszlo in a noble situation, in "The Innocent" we see a sacrifice of a love provoked by a dirty and nasty situation. However, this movie has action, love, black humor and suspense and is a worthwhile entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): " O Inocente" ("The Innocent")