The Osterman Weekend is based on a novel by Robert Ludlum. So, we know we are in for a spy-conspiracy, maybe a bit of espionage etc. What we get is a film with an incredibly complex plot, or at least it is when it gets unravelled. I don't feel I understood the film well enough to give it an in depth review, and this may have been my fault as I'm sure I stopped paying attention a few times, and attention is vital in a film like this, when crucial things are only made clear in a spilt second, so if you miss it, you're just left thinking "what's going on" for the rest of the film. Here's what I did get, John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) is a Jeremy Paxman style political talk show host, and he is having some friends over for the weekend. He is told before the weekend by Lawrence Fasset (John Hurt) that they are all conspiring with the Russians. We are told in advance that this is a lie, concocted by Fasset to get revenge on the man who killed his wife in one way or another. I'll admit that the plot lost me around this point, but towards the end of the film is was back to the edge of my seat, which is where I expected to be, given the talent that was involved in this film, Pekinpah, Ludlum, Hurt, Hauer, but due to the complexity, (or me not paying attention) it fell short of what it should have been. I read on here that the opening and ending of the film were edited by outsiders as the film was too confusing for a test audience! How must that have been? The film might be worth another watch to fully grasp what's going on, but there probably won't be much need to as I doubt I'll get much out it even when I know all the angles. Ensure you keep your concentration on what is going on, and there might be a great film in there, for me personally it proved a little too complex for it's own good.
Review of The Osterman Weekend
