Using a combination of real and fictional characters, this 3-part (6 hour) epic mini-series tells the story of the CIA from the Cold War, beginning in the early 1950s, through the Hungarian Revolution and Bay of Pigs, to the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1990s.

Most of the action is viewed through the eyes of a Yale graduate/operative, Jack McAuliffe (Chris O’Donnell) who, along with his superiors, is convinced that there is a Russian “mole” in the organization. Even so, it takes decades to flush out the traitor.

CRITIQUE

Adapted from a nearly 900 page novel by Robert Littell, The Company takes a look at the ostensibly inner workings of the Central Intelligence Agency and, whether true or not, claims that its major failures were due to a Russian “mole” in the organization.  According to this film, it was this “mole” who, among other betrayals, informed the Russians that the United States would not back up the Hungarian Freedom Fighters and also let Castro know the when and where Cuban patriots would attack in the Bay of Pigs affair. 

The decades-long search for this supposed “mole,” which has a fictional outcome, is the main storyline of this more-or-less compelling, well-made miniseries.  Filmed in Hungary and other parts of the world, it seems to spare no expense in re-creating the various times and places where individual events took place.  The battle sequences, in particular, are quite effective, which is no surprise since the executive producers on the project are Ridley and Tony Scott.

The series’ one problem is that, even though there are a couple of good “red herrings,” a keen-eyed viewer is going to figure out the identity of the “mole” during the first episode.

The story revolves around five key characters. Yale grad Jack McAuliffe (O’Donnell) is a field operative who seems to have a front row seat wherever the main action is taking place.  He tries to help East Berliners escape over the wall, and even has a tragic love affair with one of the potential refugees.  He’s fighting with the Hungarian Freedom Fighters, lands in Cuba with the anti-Castro forces and is the man who, ultimately, uncovers the identity of the “mole”.

Two of McAuliffe’s Yale classmates also figure prominently in the story.  His best friend, Leo Kritzky (Alessandro Nivola), joins the CIA at the same time as McAuliffe, marries a Washington socialite and holds down an important desk job in the organization. 

Yevgeny Tsipin (Rory Cochrane), on the other hand, is a Russian immigrant, attending the university, who returns to his homeland to be trained as a spy, then comes back to the United States where he serves as a “sleeper agent” and the primary link to the CIA “mole”.

Harvey Torriti (Alfred Molina), known as “The Sorcerer,” is McAuliffe’s cynical, world-weary mentor and the CIA’s counterintelligence chief, while James Angleton (Michael Keaton) is a brilliant, albeit ruthless and paranoid, analyst who makes it his “life’s work” to discover the identity of the CIA “mole,” code name “Sasha”.  Angleton was, in fact, a real person, feared by his colleagues, and labeled the “J. Edgar Hoover” of the CIA.  Keaton’s cold, low-key portrayal of this very unlikable human being is worthy of Emmy consideration.

Directed by Mikael Salomon, The Company is a fast-moving, well-written thriller (by Ken Nolan) that, in the end, makes one ponder as to which side in the Cold War were really “the good guys” and which were “the bad guys”.

THE VIDEO

The widescreen picture, mastered in high definition, is crisp and sharp.  There are no flaws whatsoever.

THE AUDIO

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound is crystal clear.  No problems.

THE EXTRAS

Declassified and The Hidden Hand are two lengthy featurettes in which the filmmakers and the actors discuss the origins and the making of The Company.

Interestingly, the original concept was to make Littell’s book into a theatrical feature, directed by Ridley Scott, but it was, ultimately decided that it would require a mini-series in order to do the work justice.

Covert Mission is, I assume, a DVD-ROM game, however I was unable to access it on my Macintosh computer.

FINAL THOUGHT

The Company is certainly a candidate for multiple viewings, therefore if you like historical spy stories, I would buy it.