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Customer Reviews of Little Drummer Girl

Bang The Drum Slowly
The problem with many of the movies based on John le Carre's carefully woven books is the condensing of the plot, which ruins the overall development of the pace that is driven by the characters. <
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>The Little Drummer Girl is an ambitious novel, as le Carre meticulously constructs the evolution of Charlie from an English radical left-wing actress - who is anti-Zionist - to a Palestinian terrorist, with a vicious twist. She has handlers on both sides of the conflict. <
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>The movie changes Charlie - who allegedly is based on actress Vanessa Redgrave - to an American portrayed by Diane Keaton. Klaus Kinski plays Israeli spymaster Martin Kurtz, whose aim is to infiltrate the Kahlil terrorist organization and kill its leader, who has successfully carried out bombings of Jewish-related targets in Europe. <
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>Though working for the Israelis seems to go against the politics of Charlie, it is her growing love for her case officer, Joseph (Yorgo Voyagis), that seemingly drives her ambition. Touching on the psychological and physical consequences from being manipulated in the game of shadows, Charlie ultimately pays a heavy personal price. <
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>The movie stumbles on several levels. Keaton as a fledgling terrorist just doesn't work. The scenes at the training camp fail to convey the sacrifice and political conditioning of recruits. Also, the crucial blur between perceived good & evil that are mainstays of le Carre's novels is lost in the transistion from page to screen. <
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>The Little Drummer Girl was my favorite le Carre novel until the release of Single & Single. The movie just doesn't have the time or energy to make le Carre's vision reach its grand potential.

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great spy movie!
forget the tacky 1980's clothes that Diane Keaton wears, forget the fact that Diane Keaton was a mite too old to be playing the Mata Hari, this is a fantastic spy movie!

A more boiled down verson of the novel by the same name (this is one of the rare example where I think the movie is better than the book) is complex and gritty; a fluid example of the race/religion quagmire that is the State of Israel. Klaus Kinski is absollutely fabulous and subtle in his role as the leader of the Israeli spy team that is trying to hunt down a mysterious bomber (remarkable performance by Sami Frey as the Palestinian bomber) and Diane Keaton, though a little too mature to be playing a somewhat nieve actresss who is recruited to pose as the bomber's brother's lover, plays through her confusion of grappling with her pro-Palestinian political affilations while at the same time working for the Israelis. The supporting cast of characters are equally complex if not extremely present in the movie which adds to the feel and scope of the spy operation that ensues.

The final hour is emotionally engaging and harrowing as is Keaton's eventual nervous breakdown after the bomber is caught. The extent of the spy operation is also grand in scope without being overbearing or, likewise, confusing.
A great movie for a cloudy day when you feel in the mood for a little intrigue!

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Diane Keaton plays a spy
Diane Keaton plays "The Little Drummer Girl", a young American actress recruited into a very complex plot to help catch an international Arab terrorist. The plan involves a lot of twists, backstabing, and double crosses, so you'll forgive me if I don't go into the details. Diane Keaton dose well as the vulnerable woman who is seduced into this rather complicated mission, where she is scared because she dosn't know everything that is going on or who she can trust. Keaton is strong and believable as a Palistine sympathizer. Yorgo Voyagis and Klaus Kinski as Keaton's contact and his suprerior (resectivly) also stand out with excellent performances. I really bought the love story between Keaton and Voyagis, which is rare; usually I hate the love stories in espionage thrillers, this one felt real. It is mostly subtle, only the violence at the end is brutal and bloody, but not too badly. I keep watching movies like this one or "Black Sunday" and I get chills at how close these movies are to (then) future events. Although that's where similerities end, "Little Drummer Girl" makes former West Germany it's target of terror. I liked this movie, it had the reality that James Bond dosen't, and heart that Tom Clancy is usually lacking. Good job all around.