Thumbs way up on this riveting, intense, dark drama that is part political and psychological thriller, but mostly a personal tragedy about the consequences of living in espionage culture. Matt Damon is first rate as a CIA agent and deserves an Oscar nomination. The story is tragic -- but true in its nuances. My own experience in security work, although down the ladder from CIA work, nonetheless provides a background to some of what is here. I had a colleague defect to the other (Russian, East German) side. I lost friends in a plane crash, covered up (by us) as an accident though the Russians shot down what was, in fact, our spy plane. Dick, in fact, was supposed to be on that flight but they kicked him off because he was still drunk from the night before. This saved his life. We had a dark sense of humor about our work, at least some of us did, that is missing in this film but all the stress, the psychological double-binds, the personal sacrifices are here. First rate. Indeed, probably my favorite film of the year.
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