Something in the line of Le Carre novels.
Leverage and Burn Notice have high IMDB ratings (well above 6) but when I tried watching Leverage, it’s pure Hollywood, relying on hi-tech gadgets, improbable timing and chance, combat expertise… and too gullible a target.
It sucks.
I’m getting Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy right now, both the 2011 movie and the 1979 Brit TV series. I’ve read the book and loved it.
Basically here’s what I want of a good espionage film:
- shows good old spy fieldcraft (eg: The Cardinal of the Kremlin
)
- does not resort to brute force (no karate please)
- reliance on existing technology (there’s a lot Hollywood can learn from the Stealing the Network
series)
- low-budget protagonist working solo – can seek help of other people but those people shouldn’t know the real job (like an innocent question “how to do xss” or something)
In gist – keep it real, keep it simple, stupid.
But that probably won’t happen, as filmmakers will resort to explosions and bare skin and formula – always. And that movie or TV series will not even rate. It will be dismissed by “expert critics” as boring and tedious.
In the end, books will still be the medium for that.
