A middle-aged spy dreams of beginning a new life with his mistress. Unfortunately the said mistress is a prostitute with years of lying and cheating under her belt. Upon finding out the truth about her feelings, the spy reacts in a most violent way. On both sides of the Iron Curtain, the ripple effects are wide-ranging and unexpected...
"Pride and Extreme Prejudice" is a spy yarn set in a murky, sordid environment where pretty much everybody scr*ws everybody else, in a variety of ways. It's a solid tale with many of the classic ingredients of the Cold War espionage genre : codes, secret rendez-vous, agents penetrating deep in hostile country, friction between various intelligence and counterintelligence agencies, and so on. There are also moments of wit and irony to enjoy. However, for some reason or other "Pride" never takes off and soars ; I'd describe it as workmanlike rather than inspired or thrilling. Perhaps it could have used more psychological depth. Some of the characters have fascinating motivations or backstories, but you hardly get to know them as individuals.
While the movie is not particularly deep, it does contain an implicit recognition of the long-lasting scarring inflicted by war, mainly on the young and innocent. Both the protagonist and his sister suffered deeply as children ; even decades later, their blighted lives are marked by loneliness, rootlessness and sorrow. Behind these two fictional creations stand millions upon millions of real-life victims.
"Pride and Extreme Prejudice" is a spy yarn set in a murky, sordid environment where pretty much everybody scr*ws everybody else, in a variety of ways. It's a solid tale with many of the classic ingredients of the Cold War espionage genre : codes, secret rendez-vous, agents penetrating deep in hostile country, friction between various intelligence and counterintelligence agencies, and so on. There are also moments of wit and irony to enjoy. However, for some reason or other "Pride" never takes off and soars ; I'd describe it as workmanlike rather than inspired or thrilling. Perhaps it could have used more psychological depth. Some of the characters have fascinating motivations or backstories, but you hardly get to know them as individuals.
While the movie is not particularly deep, it does contain an implicit recognition of the long-lasting scarring inflicted by war, mainly on the young and innocent. Both the protagonist and his sister suffered deeply as children ; even decades later, their blighted lives are marked by loneliness, rootlessness and sorrow. Behind these two fictional creations stand millions upon millions of real-life victims.