Brilliant and touching

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Cracking post cold war thriller set largely in former Eastern Germany. All of cast on top form, especially leads, Thaw and Turner. Climax is satisfying and has an unexpected sting in the tail. Ambivolence of intelligence services in post cold war era is well portrayed.