Maybe I was just in the right mood, but I found this an effective romance. Michelle Pfieffer was even better than her usual terrific self, and the rest of the excellent cast was, well, excellent. It is pretty slow, but I think that this is essential to the conclusion, which I found quite moving. You have to give this movie a chance to grow on you, but if you are patient it is quite accessible. Not bleak at all, as you'd expect from Le Carre.

The Russia House is a superior spy romance movie which falls short of being great. Additionally a couple of factors have been unkind to it over time.

Connery and Pfeiffer are excellant; the large cast are almost uniformly outstanding (except perhaps Roy Scheider, who I usually like, but who seems a bit over the top in his role here); the Moscow scenery and end of the Cold War feel are great, and the main characters are easy to like, if difficult to outright love. On the down side the writing assumes too much in expecting the audience to stay on top of the espionage jargon and intrigue, added to the non-linear plot. Let your attention wander and you'll lose your way. If it had been a little easier to follow, it would have left more room for dramatic tension, which was adequate but seldom riveting.

When I said that time has been unkind to The Russia House, I meant two things: firstly that the unfortunate timing of the movie's release, a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, ensured that it would be dated almost immediately. More significantly, a growing portion of the film's potential audience didn't live through the late Soviet Era, and the nuances of concepts like Glasnost, and why Perestroika makes it hard for Pfeiffer to do her shoe-shopping aren't going to mean a thing to anyone much under 30.

But that's not the movie's fault. Russia House is still a quality, enjoyable drama with a great cast, even if it's somewhat ponderous and slow-moving, and complex. And oh yes - it has James Fox. A film like this without James Fox would have been like a table with three legs.

7 out of 10

In a nutshell: a Russian missile scientist, nicknamed Danté offers an obscure Brit publisher, Barley Blair, data that shows Russian missiles are junk.

The '8' is my old rating-I might revise this to 9 or 10 after a fresh viewing. Here's why: 1. I believe le Carré must have had Connery in mind for the lead character, Barley Blair. Truth is: Connery was born to play this role-no one else comes to mind. Barley is a drinker, publisher, philosopher at large. A bit of an anarchist, but firmly non-political. A jazz clarinetist who likes to gab about dreams of world peace-but he really does NOT want to get involved in the process. Connery is perfect.

2. Filmed partially in Russia, the scenery of Moscow & Leningrad is spectacular! This was an early (1990) production with Russian cooperation.

3. Tremendous supporting cast: Roy Scheider (from'Jaws') as Russel Sheridan, the chief agent for US Intelligence, has to play a character of many qualities, above all, an optimist for truly ending the Cold War. When things don't go as expected, he tells the team, 'Put the stools on the bar-TIL next time'. Honorable mention: John Mahoney as 'Brady', the super spy who has the ear of all the American higher-ups, including the President (in the book, Brady is given godlike status-note what he says about the 'deal' being offered by Danté.). And many others! Nice to see a young Martin Clunes as an orderly-long before his Doc Martin days.

4. Not an action film, no sex scenes but some harsh language-but, basically a dramatic study of the Cold War's conclusion. Carré was correct in pondering that even if the USSR missile system lagged way behind the Allied side, would the USA put thousands out of work by shutting down their production?

5. Fabulous irony. Danté tells Blair that 'the men in grey suits came to get his father, & they will come to get you, too!' Barley, like us, is reluctant to accept the notion that the 'good guys' are just as ruthless, but consider how strongly the Americans suspect Blair of complicity, when all indicators show that he is just not interested in money nor political matters.