The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)

The true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Robert Lindsey (book), Steven Zaillian

Stars:

Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Pat Hingle

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Hutton	...	Christopher Boyce
Sean Penn	...	Daulton Lee
Pat Hingle	...	Mr. Charlie Boyce
Joyce Van Patten	...	Mrs. Boyce
Rob Reed	...	Boyce Child
Rob Newell	...	Boyce Child
Karen West	...	Boyce Child
Art Camacho	...	Boyce Child (as Arturo Comacho)
Annie Kozuch	...	Boyce Child
Richard Dysart	...	Dr. Lee
Priscilla Pointer	...	Mrs. Lee
Chris Makepeace	...	David Lee
Dorian Harewood	...	Gene
Mady Kaplan	...	Laurie
Macon McCalman	...	Larry Rogers

Storyline

The true story of Christopher Boyce, a young All-American man whose job as a guard for sensitive documents shatters his faith in his country and leads him to a sometimes comic, sometimes chilling sideline as a spy for the Soviets, aided by his scruffy buddy, Daulton; it can't last, though, and the consequences are tremendous for Boyce and his family.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | drugs | childhood friend | soviet union | walk in spy | 

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Taglines:

They came from the best of families...They became the two most dangerous political criminals in the world. [Australia Video]

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Traição do Falcão

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$17,100,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemdale Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The poem from which Boyce and his father recite is Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade", about a battle in the Crimean War.

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Goofs

(at around 1 min) The scene where Chris walks into work and several close-ups are shown of incoming telex transmissions has some date discrepancies. The very first telex shown right before Chris walks in the door has a date stamp of March 2nd, 1976 while others in the scene say September 9th, 1974. Also the cipher card he pulls out of the binder that day is marked for September 1st, 1974.

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Quotes

[Alex, a KGB agent, informs Christopher and Dalton that they are not patriots, but paid traitors]
Alex: The moment you accepted money, you became professionals. It's just beginning.

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Connections

Referenced in Knight Rider: The Wrong Crowd (1985)

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Soundtracks

"YOU'RE SO VAIN"
Performed by Carly Simon
Courtesy of Elektra Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Understated, but Affective

The Falcon and the Snowman is the true story of two college-age rich kids from L.A. who become spies for the Soviet Union. One, played by Penn, is already a drug smuggler up to his eyeballs in trouble. The other, played by Hutton, lands a position at an aerospace firm where his job is to man a top-secret cable facility. There he learns of some of the dirty tricks employed by the CIA on foreigners that America doesn't like. Don't forget that the movie is set the early 70s, the time of Vietnam and Watergate. Appalled at what he's learned, the Hutton character decides to betray his country and convinces his buddy to join him. Neither of them is long on brains, it is not long before they're way in over their heads with no way out.

This is not a thriller, and is rather slowly paced. If this is not a problem for you, then it is well worth the rental.