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The Falcon and the Snowman
Richly detailed direction by the legendary John Schlesinger and some solid performances are the primary selling points of The Falcon and the Snowman, a 1985 fact-based drama which finds a lifelong friendship destroyed by things like greed, betrayal, and, believe it or not, treason.
This chilling true story stars Timothy Hutton as Christopher Boyce, a recent seminary dropout who returns home and steps back into the shadow of his father (Pat Hingle), a retired FBI agent until he gets a job at a government agency where he is privy to a lot of sensitive and important government documents regarding space projects, among other things that often cross his desk accidentally. Christopher's shock at the information crossing his desk impulsively motivates him to implore the assistance of childhood friend and co-alter boy Daulton Lee (Sean Penn), a drug dealer on the run for multiple charges, to help him sell government secrets to the Russian embassy in Mexico.
This is another one of those stories that finds a lot of its power in it being a true story, based on a universal principle that almost no one can reconcile with...the betrayal of our country. Screenwriter Steve Zaillian has crafted a rich screenplay based on true events that takes a pretty broad look at this bizarre story from several angles we don't really see coming. Christopher's troubled relationship with his father documented at the beginning of the story seems to be pure exposition at first, but this relationship actually triggers a lot of Christopher's behavior in the story, particularly when Christopher's guilt about what he's doing kicks in. As a card carrying democrat, Christopher initially thought that selling government secrets would be an effective way to "stick it to the man", but when the seriousness of what he's doing comes to light, he's too deep to get out. I love near the end when he's being questioned by authorities about his crimes, it's a combination of arrogant pride and massive relief. It's one of Hutton's best scenes in the film.
The other side of the story is the deliciously entertaining character of Daulton Lee, brought to glorious life by Sean Penn, in a performance that should have earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Lee thinks he has found a way out of his legal troubles with a new career as a Mexican James Bond, but his greed and carelessness not only trigger his expected downfall, but get him in much deeper trouble than he even imagined. Watching what happens to Daulton here is a sobering indictment regarding the consequences of a US citizen breaking the law in a foreign country.
Schlesinger effectively mounts this story of betrayal and patriotism against a canvas based on a friendship that is eventually destroyed without ever forgetting that these two guys are best friends, despite their tumultuous pasts. I love the look on Christopher's parents face when they arrive with supplies for his new apartment and they discover Daulton is there...the tension in that scene can be cut with a knife.
Five years after winning an Oscar for Ordinary People, Timothy Hutton gives one of his strongest performances as the complicated Christopher and I also loved Hingle and Richard A. Dysart as Hutton and Penn's fathers, but it is the extraordinary and often explosive performance of Sean Penn that keeps this one on sizzle. Penn offers another post graduate acting class creating one of cinema's most flawed and yet entertaining characters, even though I suspect the real Daulton Lee wasn't nearly as entertaining as this one. research revealed that, after serving over 20 years a piece in prison for treason, the real Christopher Boyce and Daulton Lee have been released from prison. This is compelling documentation of true events that still makes riveting entertainment almost 35 year later.
Richly detailed direction by the legendary John Schlesinger and some solid performances are the primary selling points of The Falcon and the Snowman, a 1985 fact-based drama which finds a lifelong friendship destroyed by things like greed, betrayal, and, believe it or not, treason.
This chilling true story stars Timothy Hutton as Christopher Boyce, a recent seminary dropout who returns home and steps back into the shadow of his father (Pat Hingle), a retired FBI agent until he gets a job at a government agency where he is privy to a lot of sensitive and important government documents regarding space projects, among other things that often cross his desk accidentally. Christopher's shock at the information crossing his desk impulsively motivates him to implore the assistance of childhood friend and co-alter boy Daulton Lee (Sean Penn), a drug dealer on the run for multiple charges, to help him sell government secrets to the Russian embassy in Mexico.
This is another one of those stories that finds a lot of its power in it being a true story, based on a universal principle that almost no one can reconcile with...the betrayal of our country. Screenwriter Steve Zaillian has crafted a rich screenplay based on true events that takes a pretty broad look at this bizarre story from several angles we don't really see coming. Christopher's troubled relationship with his father documented at the beginning of the story seems to be pure exposition at first, but this relationship actually triggers a lot of Christopher's behavior in the story, particularly when Christopher's guilt about what he's doing kicks in. As a card carrying democrat, Christopher initially thought that selling government secrets would be an effective way to "stick it to the man", but when the seriousness of what he's doing comes to light, he's too deep to get out. I love near the end when he's being questioned by authorities about his crimes, it's a combination of arrogant pride and massive relief. It's one of Hutton's best scenes in the film.
The other side of the story is the deliciously entertaining character of Daulton Lee, brought to glorious life by Sean Penn, in a performance that should have earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Lee thinks he has found a way out of his legal troubles with a new career as a Mexican James Bond, but his greed and carelessness not only trigger his expected downfall, but get him in much deeper trouble than he even imagined. Watching what happens to Daulton here is a sobering indictment regarding the consequences of a US citizen breaking the law in a foreign country.
Schlesinger effectively mounts this story of betrayal and patriotism against a canvas based on a friendship that is eventually destroyed without ever forgetting that these two guys are best friends, despite their tumultuous pasts. I love the look on Christopher's parents face when they arrive with supplies for his new apartment and they discover Daulton is there...the tension in that scene can be cut with a knife.
Five years after winning an Oscar for Ordinary People, Timothy Hutton gives one of his strongest performances as the complicated Christopher and I also loved Hingle and Richard A. Dysart as Hutton and Penn's fathers, but it is the extraordinary and often explosive performance of Sean Penn that keeps this one on sizzle. Penn offers another post graduate acting class creating one of cinema's most flawed and yet entertaining characters, even though I suspect the real Daulton Lee wasn't nearly as entertaining as this one. research revealed that, after serving over 20 years a piece in prison for treason, the real Christopher Boyce and Daulton Lee have been released from prison. This is compelling documentation of true events that still makes riveting entertainment almost 35 year later.