michaelwmillwood
Of course, an array of particulars were changed (as should be expected for a multitude of reasons). One should note, however, that this movie did in fact portray an even larger number of historically accurate details and/or information. This applies not only to simple global occurrences or events during the so called 'Cold War', but more so to the mannerisms, behaviors, operational methods and habits (both good AND bad / publicly accepted and not) of those patriots employed with or assigned to "The Company." This particularly applies to their relentless dedication, extreme attention to detail, as well as their impossible acceptance of the painstaking patience required in their work! Also, I felt as though the majority of the actor portrayals were "dead-on"... perhaps not the best choice of words for an espionage movie! ;-). In closing, one final thought... the overall GOOD in this movie (storyline, cinematography, overall accuracy... heck, the actors themselves) FAR out weighed whatever little bad that the few 'critics' would point out. That's why, for me at least, this movie was AWESOME!! Thank you. MWM
canuckteach
This is a wonderful performance piece, for Cold-War, Tom Clancy/John Le Carré lovers alike. Spying was a dangerous, heart-breaking and lonely game, and the principle characters on both sides gave up much in the way of personal life - this slowly tumbles out as the story unfolds over 4 decades.I credit the Director with NOT revealing too much the first time you view it - I found myself wondering at certain points if the Script contained gaps -- not so. An example is the involvement of the notorious Kim Philby, a clever KGB double-agent. Everyone who has read 'Man Called Intrepid' knows who Philby is - if he breezed into this story as KIM PHILBY, we'd know what to expect. Cleverly, the character is not identified until the story is well-under way. By that time, you are as fooled as was his friend, the famous CIA counterespionage guru, James Angleton, played here with craft by Michael Keaton.Other performers shine, and the action scenes for Hungary, and the Bay of Pigs are startling. Part 3 packed a real punch as, again, we get treated to what the counterintelligence fellas had to go through to nail suspected double-agents.The second time through, I connected all the dots--so, the mini-series DVD has been well worth the investment. (Glad I missed it on TV with commercials).
mpag
Michael Keaton's performance is spellbinding, astounding. I couldn't believe what I was watching. When he's on screen, he lifts the piece onto a wholly different level. Unreservedly worth watching for his screen time alone. The unnerving atmosphere he creates happily offsets the unfortunate mawkishness that marrs parts of the Berlin and Budapest stories. Alfred Molina also deserves praise for a strong, gutsy performance as a permanently booze-fueled, no nonsense old time field commander. Production values are pretty high for a television series - Ridley Scott's production presence no doubt helped on that front - and the post-war look and atmosphere of the Berlin sequences is particularly well realised. But this is unmistakably Keaton's tour-de-force.
danabowe
This show does things with the history of the CIA that movies like the good shephard could only dream of. Great story, wonderful acting this is one of the best mini-series i've seen. It is the spy show equivalent of what band of brothers was for war shows. The way the show is filmed to show the history of what we didn't get to see during the cold war is brilliant. Alfred Molina is one of the most underrated actors around. Everyone forgot also how great of actors Michael Keaton and Chris O'Donnell are. Their performances are great especially Keaton who plays the ever stubborn MOTHER very well. This to me is one of the great mini-series made right up there with band of brothers and generation kill. A must see.
AD
