Slow to get going, but mercifully sparked by the performances of Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, this is hopefully about the last we'll see of cold-war thrillers full of tired CIA, M15 and KGB men trying to outwit each other, while others undergo the physical danger. Connery, as reliable as ever as the jazz-playing publisher caught up in the espionage game, and Pfeiffer, with a convincing-sounding Russian accent, create characters who evolve into the only believable or interesting people in the film. A strong cast otherwise does not acquit itself with distinction, director Fred Schepisi spends far too long touring the sights of his locations, and Tom Stoppard's script (from John Le Carré's novel) is sickeningly routine even by the standards of this genre. Trust Connery to find the few gems in it and polish them up bright enough to bring tears to our eyes. Martin Clunes, behaving not at all badly, has a supporting role.

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