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The Serpent

1973 · 113 min

A cool, cerebral Cold War thriller that keeps you leaning in, parsing lies within lies as the body count quietly rises.

Directed by
Henri Verneuil
Genres
Thriller
Starring
Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Dirk Bogarde
Tagline
One of these men is working for the C.I.A.
Overview
Vlassov is a Soviet spy who defects in France. He is whisked to the U.S, where Allan Davies takes over the case. After polygraph tests and cross-examinations, Vlassov names several Western European agents who are also spying for the Soviets. Davies wants to take the listed agents into custody; meanwhile, those on the list start dying under mysterious circumstances.

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Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Henri Verneuil
Genres
Thriller
Starring
Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Dirk Bogarde
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • deception
  • conspiracy
  • betrayal
  • politics
  • loyalty
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror2
Humour1
Realism7
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness6
Complexity7
Emotional weight5

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller
Directed by
Henri Verneuil
Written by
Henri Verneuil, Gilles Perrault
Starring
Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Dirk Bogarde, Virna Lisi, Robert Alda, Farley Granger, Philippe Noiret, Michel Bouquet
Music
Ennio Morricone
Cinematography
Claude Renoir
Runtime
113 min
Country
Germany, France, Italy
Languages
French, English, German

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