The Kremlin Letter (1970)
Directed by John Huston
A heavyweight international cast, globehopping production (Helsinki-for-Moscow, Italy, Mexico, New York), establishing chopper shots, cool codenames (The Warlock, Erector Set, Lord Ashley’s Whore) and a talky-plotty tale complicated by a constant fusillade of Russian surnames—Huston’s film delivers everything you want in a Cold War spy thriller, along with a vintage draught of sexism and groovy S&M particular to its moment in time. The titular framing MacGuffin is no match for the triple-crossing convolutions, but Huston wrangles these gamely, and gives us George Sanders in drag, Orson Welles trying another patchy accent and an atypically kinky Bibi Andersson. Justin Stewart (Jan 2, 3:45pm at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Huston retrospective)