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CS Weekly Archive > DVD > 10/26/07
A History of Lies
by scott castle
The Company
Teleplay by Ken Nolan
Based on the novel by Robert Littell
 
 
Screenwriter Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) adapts Robert Littell's fictionalized history of the CIA in his compelling scripts for the three-part TNT mini-series, The Company. The miniseries was originally intended as a feature film, and the supplemental featurettes explore the property's journey from book to movie to mini-series, with an emphasis on how the narrative canvass expanded and contracted as needed by the medium. CIA Agent Jack McCauliffe (Chris O'Donnell) provides the viewer's eyes and ears throughout 40 years of the agency's history, with the Bay of Pigs and the Hungarian Revolution providing key action set pieces amidst the ongoing search for a KGB mole within the titular company. Historical characters like spycatcher James Jesus Angleton (Michael Keaton) and notorious double-agent Adrian "Kim" Philby (Tom Hollander) are rendered with skill alongside the equally fleshed-out fictional constructs that populate the story. The art of espionage has never fared better on American television, and the script underlines the constant cat-and-mouse games with a weariness and cynicism that takes its toll on the characters with each succeeding episode.
The Company
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Not rated; 286 min.
$39.95
Buy it now
Scott Castle is one thesis shy of a master’s degree in film. He’s written two short films, four television scripts, and a handful of short stories. He lives in Los Angeles.
The Company courtesy Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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