FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN. Directed by John Schlesinger; written by Steven Zallian; produced by Gabriel Katzka for Orion. Starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. Rated R.
More reviews by —
TITLE:
RATING:
No, this movie is not a sequel to The Maltese Falcon, nor is it a Christmas picture that's only belatedly making it to San Antonio.
It's a dramatization of the criminal espionage of Christopher Boyce (Hutton), who actually owns a live falcon. And the snowman" refers to Lee's (Penn) frequent use of cocaine.
The best parts of the movie involve the actual stealing and marketing of the information. Here it's exciting, funny and absorbing. Some of the home front scenes drag, however, since Boyce and Lee are by far the most interesting characters in the movie.
Hutton and, especially, Penn, are fine actors who are given engrossing characters here. And they make the most of the good script. Penn is a marvel. Each of his roles has been different—think about Fast Times at Ridgemont High in comparison to this movie or Racing with the Moon. But he makes such a tremendous range seem easy. He gives Lee, this spoiled, greedy drug dealer, more depth than anyone could reasonably expect. You'd never really like someone like Lee, but you'll love the performance.
Good as Hutton and Penn are, The Falcon and the Snowman has a few other problems besides lack of interesting supporting characters. If the story weren't about actual events, it would be easy to criticize on the grounds of unbelievability.
Great pains are taken to show us how intelligent Boyce is supposed to be. Although we're also shown that he's immature and cowardly in his personal relationships, he's not stupid. But it's the stupidity of the treason that's ultimately more impressive than the treason itself.
What did Boyce hope to accomplish? How could he hope to reap anything but trouble for himself? By selling the Soviets information about CIA covert activities, did he expect those activities to stop? Late in the movie Boyce muses that he shouldn't have been surprised that the Russian spies were no different than their American counterparts. Indeed he shouldn't, if he were really as smart as we've been led to believe.
The Falcon and the Snowman is living proof that truth is stranger than fiction. And this old saw saves it from these nagging questions about motivations. Boyce committed treason because people often do weird, inexplicable things.
And his complex personality is nicely balanced by Lee, whose motivations are never in doubt. The contrast and interactions between two compelling and very different characters make up for any other weakness the movie may have.
February 6, 1985