So yeah, why did the British agent, Billy Crudep's character, help out/give the book to the Russian guy who infiltrated the CIA? I mean, that part kinda lost me. Who was the Russian working for, what was his goal? Did the British guy know, I assume yes, and what was his goal?
Can't keep me off this escalator!
I don't have the answers, I'm trying to figure these things out also.
At first, I thought the passport and papers (with his true identity... Modin) were hidden in the Ulyses book by the Russian (modin) himself... figuring that since Mother saw where he got the book, the CIA would never look there.
The movie leaves too many questions unanswered!
One of the things it hints at is that the British guy (who gives Modin) the book) might be a double agent for Britan and the Soviets?
It could also be that the British wanted their own man inside the CIA because the CIA would not share eerything?
Here's the best possiblity, The British gave Modin the book contaning his true identity... not because the Russian was working for them, but because they wanted to let him know that they knew who he really was... so he must become a double agent helping the British or they would beray him to the CIA.
This was to illustrate that even though the U.S. and Brits were the closest alies ("friends" as Edward's father put it.) They still spied on each other.
Keep it together, Keep it together, Keep it together, Keep it together!
Watch more than once. About 5 times should reveal all. All of the answers are woven into this well constructed, layered subtle movie.
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I like that theroy that it was the brits spying on the US, but Damon clearly says to crudup that his worst fears have come true, no friends and no country... implying he was working for the soviets.
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Kill Them, Kill Them All!
but Damon clearly says to crudup that his worst fears have come true, no friends and no country... implying he was working for the soviets.
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I think this was loosely based on the case of Oleg Penkovsky, a senior KGB agent who "came to the west." He actually came through the British but was co-run by British and Americans. Supposedly, he was betrayed to the Soviets by one of the highly placed Soviet moles in MI-6, Philby, et al. or by a CIA double, captured, interrogated, tried and shot by the Soviets.
There is a good deal of speculation that Penkovsky was a double-agent all along and his trial and death were staged.