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| The rules have changed. |
I’ve made no secret of the
fact that Raymond Chandler’s writing is one of the inspirations for my Thomas
Bladen spy thrillers, but I also owe a huge debt to cinema. It’s my great pleasure now to introduce
you to a back catalogue of films that remain classics of the spy / thriller
genre. Many of them are derived from novels but for consistency I will only
reference the films and I’ve added the IMDB links so you can read about the
plot in more detail. I hope you find some old favourites here, as well as some
‘new’ classics to add to your own list.
We’ll come back to Raymond
Chandler in a bit. First and foremost, I have to pay tribute to The 39 Steps,
a tale of a man unwittingly drawn into a murderous conspiracy, who goes on the
run to prove his innocence. I favour the 1935 version with Robert Donat and
Madeleine Carroll, as well as a brilliant BBC version from 2008 (which includes elements from the novel that were
left out of every other film). How much do I love The 39 Steps? Well, in
Standpoint, Thomas watches the 1935 version with Miranda and comments on how
Hitchcock changed the story from the novel. There’s also a homage to one of the
film’s plot devices in Line of Sight, my follow-up to Standpoint. I put North by Northwest (1959) alongside The 39 Steps as another great example of a mistaken
identity driving the plot forward. How do you win through when you don’t know
what you’re supposed to know? I think it helps to have other people looking out
for you from time to time.
The films Farewell My Lovely (1944), The Big Sleep (1946) and The Long Goodbye (1973) allow Raymond Chandler’s world-weary private detective, Philip
Marlowe, to fill the screen; much like Bogart’s performance as Sam Spade in the
Dashiell Hammett co-scripted adaptation of The Maltese Falcon. My original intention had been to write Thomas Bladen as a detective,
only he arrived pretty much fully formed and had his own opinions about what he
did for a living. What I love most about this batch of films is the dialogue
and the characterisation. The plots are well-crafted but to me they are
secondary. The ‘hero’ is flawed and his attitude is often more hindrance than
help as he battles relentlessly against the tide. These films are gritty,
sometimes sleazy and show the underbelly of society. Yet somehow, almost
miraculously, the hero emerges with most of his honour intact. My fondness for
this genre led to the creation of Leon Thurston, a West Indian private
detective who plies his trade from an old minicab office in Dalston. East
London. While we’re on the subject of Chandler, make time for The Blue Dahlia (1947) – it’s an intriguing whodunit that apparently involved a
controversial rewritten ending…but you can research that for yourself! Like
Alan Ladd’s Johnny Morrison, Thomas Bladen is a little out of steps with the
world around him, but the right woman makes all the difference.
Spies yet? Well, almost. Vicious Circle (1957) finds a humble doctor (humble but with a cravat!) drawn into a
deadly game of blackmail and intrigue that leads him questioning who is out to
get him – and why? I’d put this one in the same category as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and also (1956).
Ordinary people in extraordinary times, who dig deep when they find themselves
pawns in a much bigger game – much like Robert Hannay in The 39 Steps.
Both The Conversation (1974) and Enemy of the State (1998) tackle surveillance, paranoia and ethics, along with the
perennial question of who watches the watchers. It is perennial too, as that
phrase is as old as the Romans. In Thomas Bladen’s world, a simple surveillance
job often turns out to be far more complicated and it doesn’t pay to ask too
many questions (not that it stops him). The observer may seem impartial but
they cannot deny there are consequences to their work. Three Days of the Condor (1975) pits one man against the ‘organisation’, by
trying to stay one step ahead of everyone, in order to get to the truth and
hold people in power accountable. By book five, Flashpoint, Thomas has learned
that justice can take many forms and sometimes even a bitter compromise is the
best option. The Third Man (1949) involves a mystery, a disappearing act with a difference and a
conspiracy – how do you find out the truth when everyone is telling you
something different? Its cunning and amoral titular character (compelling
played by Orson Welles) dominates the film despite not being the main role. This
group of films demonstrate another element that I wanted to bring to my books:
unresolved endings. The moviegoer is left wondering what could happen afterwards.
I hope you’ll make time to
watch all these films, even if you’ve seen them before.
For those who enjoy extra
homework, make time for:
The Long Memory (1953)
Rear Window (1954)
A Prize of Arms (1962)
Gilda (1946)
Build My Gallows High (1946)
In a Lonely Place (1946)
When not watching classic
cinema, I write Thomas Bladen spy thrillers - intrigue, action and sardonic humour.
FLASHPOINT
– Part Five of the Spy Chaser series
After London suffers a coordinated terror attack,
Thomas Bladen questions everything – his future with Miranda, his Surveillance
Support Unit job and even his clandestine role as a Spy Chaser.
But his
troubles are just beginning.
When the Unit
comes under MI5’s control and two senior SSU staff disappear, his search for
answers is blocked at every turn.
A missing
handgun and the reappearance of old adversaries forces him into uneasy
alliances and hard choices.
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Could there be
a double agent in their latest assignment?
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What is behind
the rift between government departments?
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And what if he
has got it wrong this time?
Thomas must
face his deepest fears and what he discovers could change the rules forever.
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