L'abbraccio dell'orso

Charlie Muffin is an exceptional cold-war spy story. Our title hero is not very glamorous by James Bond standards: no spying gadgets, no Pussy Galores, no megalomaniac enemies with crocodile farms. It's simply the old West vs. East story during the cold war. Charlie is an exceptional spy with exceptional methods and exceptional results, but that is not much appreciated by his peers who want rules and not exceptions.

Although this spy story is set in the real world and not in comic book land, we have the odd chase, explosion and deception here and there, and although they are perhaps slightly less spectacular than in the world of Derek Flint their impact is larger, because they happen in a context we can relate to. Not only that, but the story keeps us also guessing. In our traditional spy film we know who's going to win (the good guys, of course) and how our hero will cope at the end (with a bottle of champagne under one arm and a glamour puss under the other). But this world is not that black and white and right up to the end one could imagine many outcomes, and the actual ending makes a fitting climax to a great film.

David Hemmings plays the title character understated: intelligent but inconspicuous, moderate but stylish. Generally the cast is excellent; I especially loved Pinkas Braun as the defected Kalenin.

I have been a Brian Freemantle/Charlie Muffin fan for years. This is the first Charlie Muffin story, and I was curious how well it would translate over. With the exception of the ending, this movie is very faithful to the book (or my memory of the book).

If you are expecting James Bond, you'll be shocked. The idea behind Charlie is that he is an agent, not a superhero. Plagued by sore feet and disliking guns, he is not your hollywood spy. David Hemmings did a TERRIFIC job in portraying Charlie and giving him an everyman quality.

The only problem I had with the whole movie was the cover shot. It is just too "out of character" looking.