Pride and Extreme Prejudice

Forsyth gives us a tried and tested format of the good agent going off the rails, then twists it into a personal rescue mission for chief spy man Sam McCready. A Classic race against time thriller, with excellent acting, a touch of wry humour here and there, and an unexpected twist at the end. Thoroughly enjoyable. A pity we did not get to see more of the inimitable Sam McCready after the run of 'F.F. Presents' finished.

There is always some distinct bitterness in Frederick Forsyth's stories, they are extremely well written and intelligent, but there is a deep mistrust in human nature, as the human factor, although making his characters sympathetic, is used against them to bring about their fall. Brian Dennehy is the major character here, a qualified international spy who commits the unpardonable sin in the business to commit a mistake, he is well aware of the blunder he has committed and that he has to pay for it, he actually gives up from the beginning, and he just walks out the whole line with the end of his tether in unwavering sight. It's a sad espionage story, where the human factors invade the spying business to drown it in the inevitability of tragedy. Today these Sam McCready agent thrillers of the Cold War may seem hopelessly outdated, while they remain interesting only because of their human dimensions, which always seem to put all the technical expertise of the espionage business with all its expert machinery in all its finest details to shame. And that is how Frederick Forsyth's extremely clever but bitter stories will survive.

I came across PAEP on YouTube. It started off well enough but became implausible as the two "good guys" moved into East Germany for their rescue bid and were able to find their way around unfamiliar - and hostile - country without problem. Some weak acting from a cast headed by the reliable Brian Dennehy, and Simon Cadell did little to justify his top billing.