The motion-picture version of The Russia House, starring Sean Connery as Barley Blair, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Katya, was released in December 1990.

Connery seems the embodiment of Barley, creating a character for the screen that shares all of the humanity of the character in the novel. In an interview, le Carre said that he was delighted with Connery's portrayal, although he himself had pictured Peter O'Toole in the role. The screenplay was written by playwright Tom Stoppard, and it emphasizes the interior lives of the characters and de-emphasizes action. Some parts of the movie are slow; the filmmakers dwell on sights and scenery, perhaps because of their eagerness to take advantage of being allowed to film freely on location in Moscow, a rare priviledge in the thenSoviet Union. The motion picture opened to positive reviews, with some reviewers noting that it is satisfying adult fare and it examines...