Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- witty
- intimate
- quiet evening
- classic spy movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the adaptation elegant, intelligent, and intermittently moving, with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer providing its strongest human dimension despite a static screenplay and familiar spy formula.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
British and American intelligence agencies scrutinize notebooks supposedly containing Soviet military secrets while Barley questions their motives and conclusions.
The Secret Service recruits publisher Barley Blair, whose experience with Russia and connection to Katya make him useful despite his resistance to authority.
Barley's investigation is intertwined with his feelings for Russian editor Katya Orlova and the risks faced by her circle.
The story unfolds amid changing Soviet realities, with intelligence assumptions challenged by a society in flux.
Films like The Russia House, and why
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
shared cold war espionage, moral ambiguity, literary source material, and restrained political tension
The Constant Gardener
shared john le carré atmosphere, intelligence tradecraft, romantic melancholy, and distrust of institutions
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
shared east-west espionage, conflicted loyalties, romance, and understated thriller pacing
The Quiet American
shared political thriller structure, international intrigue, and a charismatic outsider navigating intelligence agencies
Movie Details
- Director
- Fred Schepisi
- Release Date
- 1990-12-21
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (340)
Cast
- Sean Connery
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Roy Scheider
- James Fox
- John Mahoney
- Michael Kitchen
- J.T. Walsh
- Ken Russell
- David Threlfall
- Klaus Maria Brandauer
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Russia House about?
- A rebellious British publisher is drawn into a dangerous late-Cold-War intelligence game when secret Soviet notebooks become entangled with his feelings for a Russian editor.
- What is The Russia House like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Russia House as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Russia House violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Russia House as mild.
- What did critics think of The Russia House?
- Critics broadly found the adaptation elegant, intelligent, and intermittently moving, with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer providing its strongest human dimension despite a static screenplay and familiar spy formula.
- Which films are like The Russia House?
- Films with a similar feel include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and The Quiet American.
- How long is The Russia House?
- The Russia House runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Russia House?
- In United States, The Russia House is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
