An entertaining WW2 spy romance very much inspired by the timeless classic Casablanca. John Schlesinger directs Ian McEwan's solid script (from his own novel) that does not take too many chances. The movie has the classic old man remembers the past in a 2-hour flashback structure. A young British electronics genius Leonard (played by the American Campbell Scott) is sent to WW2 Berlin to tap into Soviet communications from an underground tunnel dug and fortified over the ten years by the Americans. Leonard's American boss Bob Glass (played by a Brit, Anthony Hopkins) is a tough and experienced task master who frequently warns Leonard about leaking information about his super secret mission. When Leonard falls in love at a night club with the lovely Maria (the alluring Isabella Rossellini) things take a sharp turn both for the better (love) and worse (a gruesome murder follows). Leonard is the innocent in the title of the movie who has his education coming for him in a hurry. In a Casablanca like penultimate scene, Maria sacrifices her love in order to save Leonard's neck and opts to stay with Bob. She ends up marrying Bob and migrate to America and have 3 kids. The final scene puts us in the midst of celebration of the coming down of the Berlin Wall in 1989. A much older Leonard -- in a coincidence that is not too clear -- again meets with Maria (but of course!). Bob is dead and gone some time ago. Maria's three grown-up children leave the old love birds alone for old time's sakes as they climb the sections of the Berlin Wall to join the Berliners in their historic day. The movie fades out with that beautiful Nat King Cole tune ringing in our ears. The Cold War ends but True Love never does. A good entertainment for the fans of WW2 spy flicks in which an American actor speaks perfect British, a British actor speaks passable American, and an Italian actor speaks English better than she does German. Gets a 7 out of 10. ------------------------------- |
