Little Drummer Girl
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VHS Movie Reviews of Little Drummer Girl
Movie Review: Deeply flawed, but one of my favorites.
Summary: 3 Stars
I keep coming back to this movie because it is one of le Carre's more action-packed stories (as opposed to pages and pages of glum people talking about how when they hunt & kill their prey they come to understand them and in turn love them--nevertheless I love that genre too). The first thing the filmmakers did well is to preserve the story and the two-sided presentation of the Arab-Israel conflict. The second thing they did was include Klause Kinski, who did a better job at being a Mossad agent than Sir Robert Shaw did in Black Sunday. "Tell them YES repeat NO!" Priceless!
Third, they peppered it with a lot of memorable actors who will never hit it big and never did, after this movie, too bad. They all did a good job. Yorgo Voyagis probably is still doing well in his country and in his region but he never became an Arnold Schwarzenegger. He did an understated but believable job of being an ambivalent warrior in the conflict who becomes Charlie's reluctant love object. He's perfect for le Carre. Doing unspeakable things with haunted eyes. Like a Middle Eastern "Crying Freeman". I could hug each one of them for their contribution to this little gem.
The biggest misstep is Diane Keaton. She did a good job, but she's too old for the role. I saw the movie before reading the book and even then she seemed too old for the role. The terrorist Michel is a playboy, who likes young women to plant his bombs for him. It should be played by an actress who is troubled and sexy, like Bonham-Carter or a young Vanessa Redgrave. Diane Keaton is convincing in portraying the self-doubt, the actor's constant craving for affection, etc., etc. but she's always wrapped up with those huge shoulder pads. Where's the sensuality? I DON'T mean baring flesh. I thought Bonham-Carter in an ape suit exuded sexiness. I thought Alice Krige as a Borg in ST First Contact was sexy, and yet she looked grotesque!
Why would Michel be interested in her? Why would Khalil? And please, why would an AMERICAN be cast in St Joan, staged in England? Especially since Diane couldn't pull it off convincingly enough? (Funny enough, Renee Zellweger was a convincing Brit in Bridget Jones, even the UK seems to buy her in the role, so it isn't impossible, but Diane K. didn't convince me!)
Movie Review: Today's Epic
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Movie Review: I Loved the Cast, especially Yorgo Voyagis
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit right up front that I fell in love with Yorgo Voyagis the minute I saw him in this movie. I found it very believable that he could manipulate "Charlie" (Keaton) so easily. She wanted to express her politics, which were pro Palestinian, in a way that would matter. Joseph (Voyagis), anIsraeli, played on this weakness and also her attraction to him. Though I didn't find Keaton attractive enough to interest Joseph, her portrayal of Charlie was first rate. She became a character that I was drawn to. Joseph was able to convince her to work with the Israelis to stop the killing of Palestinians. Believing this line of reasoning, Charlie goes undercover.
I really liked the movie and as I said, loved Yorgo Voyagis. I haven't been able to get much information about him on the web or any pictures. I've seen him in a couple of other movies but he just didn't stand out like he did in Little Drummer Girl. I thought the whole cast was good, making this a first rate movie. My only regret was there weren't enough romantic moments between Joseph and Charlie.
Movie Review: Over and over
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is filled with subtlety... Each time we see it we see things we missed before. Keaton is older than the book role, but still naive and absolutely believable as Charlie. Even the minor characters have strong, empathetic roles. Watch for "Rachel" and "Dimitri". Kinski is superb as Kurtz (German for "short"). My favorite line... "...and so timely...cable him back .... 'Yes repeat No'". This is a great film and is underappreciated by numerous shallow critics but needs to be seen more than once.Movie Review: The Little Drummer Girl
Summary: 4 Stars
I really love this movie, although I have to admit I didn't catch the entire plot until I turned on closed captioning on my TV. A lot of the words are just too garbled to understand. My one big complaint about the movie itself is the casting of Diane Keaton. This isn't a criticism of her looks since I think she's very attractive, however for the role she was playing they needed someone who was very pretty in order to be convincing. She does do a magnificent job of acting the part. This movie is one the most romantic I have ever seen. Although there are only a few romantic areas in it, they are enough to carry the whole thing and make your your knees go weak. I became an instant Yorgo Voyagis fan after seeing this.
The plot is excellent and carries you through to the end. I recommend this movie very much.