The Man on the Other Side

The Man on the Other Side has a few things going for it, and many working against it. Among the positives, first is the great performance by Mari Bensel, in a challenging role. Another strong point is the inherent believability of the genaral plot lines and set up of the film, namely the seduction of a secretary to steal state secrets. This was quite common in the Cold War and there are some very famous true cases on which this could be based. And finally, the rapid plot changes, taut pace and short length (less than 90 minutes) are a real plus, as the action moves swiftly, and scenes are not belabored. Otherwise, the film suffers a lot from some simple things that strain credulity, such as the impossibility for a two finger typist to become the secretary of a minister or vice minister, or the preposterous scenes in which this untrained, female secretary beats a professional male spy TWICE in hand-to-hand combat and using THE SAME TECHNIQUE each time ! Although the film's cinematography is good quality, the scenes are shot mostly in interiors (probably and understandably for budgetary reasons) and this becomes a bit boring and claustrophobic after a while; if it was a stylistic choice by the director, it was the wrong one !