The Falcon and the Snowman

"They came from the best of families. And they committed the worst of crimes."

1985 2h 12m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 184

ThrillerDramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.

“They came from the best of families. And they committed the worst of crimes.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Timothy Hutton
Christopher Boyce
Sean Penn
Daulton Lee
Pat Hingle
Mr. Charlie Boyce
Joyce Van Patten
Mrs. Boyce
Art Camacho
Boyce Child
Richard Dysart
Dr. Lee
Priscilla Pointer
Mrs. Lee
Chris Makepeace
David Lee

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Schlesinger
Writers: Steven Zaillian
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Schlesinger, shot by Allen Daviau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lyle Mays. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Marden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn and Pat Hingle carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They came from the best of families. And they committed the worst of crimes.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087231 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Schlesinger directs. Allen Daviau behind the camera. Lyle Mays scores. Richard Marden cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by John Schlesinger, shot by Allen Daviau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lyle Mays. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Richard Marden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn and Pat Hingle carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "They came from the best of families. And they committed the worst of crimes.".
8IMDB entry: tt0087231 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "mexico", "based on novel or book", "espionage", "spy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Allen Daviau
Original score: Lyle Mays
Editing: Richard Marden
Production design: James D. Bissell
Costume design: Albert Wolsky
Makeup / hair: Bertha Chiu
Stunt coordinator: Gilbert B. Combs
Runtime: 132 min · 2h 12m
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Box office: $17,130,087
Return: 143% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)

Also by

John Schlesinger

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 1/10
Normally I love spy movies, I love espionage and the tension those kind of stories make. And I watched it when I was little, REALLY little, and I loved it then. But now, revisiting it as an adult, well, it has espionage, it has treason, it has cocaine, and it has Sean Penn, and it's boring. It's just really very dull from start to finish and never seems to build up the tension and suspense that make spy movies so fun to watch.

Production companies