The Innocent

I don't go out of my way usually to see John Schlessinger movies-somehow Sunday, Bloody, Sunday never had the impact on me, that it did on others. In fact, I always have to remind myself that Herr. Schlesinger directed Cold Comfort Farm, seeing as I enjoyed it immensely.

Why then am I watching The Innocent? Two immediate reasons come to mind. First, my affinity for The Comfort of Strangers has sent me on a mission to find all adapted Ian McEwan novels. Second, the fact that Campbell Scott stars is something to which I immediately find appealing.

In recent years I've decided that Scott will soon become an important American actor…his almost genius cameos in The Daytrippers, and Big Night (which he also co-directed) as well as his starring role in David Mamet's Spanish Prisoner lend me to believe the young man is indeed on his way.

The film itself, unfortunately pales in comparison to a startling, brilliant piece of work like Comfort of Strangers. Anthony Hopkins is miscast as an American CIA agent, the story is shallow and uneven.

On to the next McEwan work.

good premises. and a real great novel. great director. the right actors. hard work of each of the members of cast to save a noble project. and an error. like a sand grain. it is not clear its identity. but for me, as admirer of Campbell Scott, "The Innocent" remains a good choice. for the admirable fight of actors. for the noble intentions. and, sure, for the memories about the novel.

In 1955, Berlin is completely crowded of spies of different nationalities. The British civilian Leonard Markham (Campbell Scott) is requested to support an American – British joint-venture in a secret project leaded by the American Robert Glass (Anthony Hopkins) due to his knowledge of electronics. Afterhours, in his spare time, the naive Leonard meets the divorced Maria (Isabella Rossellini) in a night-club and they have an affair, falling in love for each other. However, Otto (Ronald Nitschke), the former husband of Maria, threatens and blackmails her, affecting the personal life and the professional performance of Leonard, culminating in a difficult situation for him. "The Innocent" is a surprisingly good love story in times of cold war. While in "Casablanca" the elegant Rick Blaine spontaneously sacrifices his love for Ilsa Lund Laszlo in a noble situation, in "The Innocent" we see a sacrifice of a love provoked by a dirty and nasty situation. However, this movie has action, love, black humor and suspense and is a worthwhile entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): " O Inocente" ("The Innocent")

Is it a spy story? Is it a murder thriller? Is it a love story? This movie tries to be all three and ends up being a mess.

Anthony Hopkins effort as an American security officer is uneven and almost lacking in emotion. His strong American nasal accent which reminds me of his role in the "Road to Wellville" fades as the movie goes on and almost lapses to his native English.

On the other hand Campbell Scott, an American, does an outstanding job of playing an English scientist to the limits of the convoluted script. One can't help wondering if an important 30 minutes of story was left on the cutting room floor.

Probably the only scene of interest is in the final 10 minutes of the picture and it occurs at an airport in Berlin. The common views and elements of the scene as compared to the airport scene in "Casablanca" are probably intentional as Isabella Rossellini is the daughter of Ingrid Bergman.

My suggestion is to watch "Casablanca" first then the final 10 minutes of this movie as that is about all anyone will want to remember of "The Innocent".

This movie has three serious flaws. It never finds a focus, (ultimately, I cared very little about any of the characters), it has the always fateful flaw of dialog that gets lost in whispered tones or buried beneath the score or SFX, and finally ... WHY, in heaven's name is Anthony Hopkins using his not-so-convincing American accent to play a character that could have been played better by half-a-dozen American actors? And I'm a Hopkins fan! Sorry, it just doesn't work. Although it tries to be both a suspense and love story, it accomplishes neither. That's all the more frustrating when the end arrives with what I assume is an homage to Casablanca. The whole thing is poorly focused and generally weak, despite solid performances by Isabella and Scott.