>>>>>>>Today I was at Target for some provisions and on a whim bought a DVD trilogy of the Bourne movies. They are selling it for about $22. I am taking a brief intermission from the first one. It is probably not an overstatement to say it is among the best thrillers in recent years. Very tightly written (based on a schlock novel), a couple dozen classic scenes. The second and third installments were directed by Paul Greengrass in a visual style every other action director has been trying to emulate since. Terrific flicks, as good and entertaining as the early Bond movies.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I loved the books until the author died and they were written by other authors under his name. I enjoyed every movie, but to be frank, the visual style after the first drove me nuts. I hate all the camera movement. Too jerky and difficult to focus. Headache!
>>>>>
>>>>>True, although I don't think we are really talking about that many scenes. The influence on other directors is undeniable.
>>>>>
>>>>>As far as Robert Ludlum, see my reply to John B. I give him credit for plotting but did not like his writing style at all. "Hammer them over the head." I like a little nuance, a little grace.
>>>>
>>>>The Bourne films are that rare thing. Better than the book. I read a couple of Ludlum books after people here where recommending them and I thought they where c___p
>>>
>>>We are on the same page.
>>>
>>>FWIW my favorite is Graham Greene. He wrote beautifully without overdoing it and depicted moral ambiguity in a way I like. There was even a word given to the world he described -- Greeneland.
>>>
>>>Oddly enough, probably the most famous line from the many movies made from his novels was not from the book but ad-libbed by Orson Welles -- the bit in "The Third Man" about cuckoo clocks.
>>
>>I like Graham Greene too.
>>
>>This is a good spy movie
>>
>>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059749/
>>
>>The spy who came in from the cold.
>
>I have the Criterion edition but have not watched it yet. Just made a note to bring it back here next week.
>
>Can I safely assume we both like John LeCarre?

Yes.

Also as Charles mentioned another one I liked was Len Deighton.

Harry Palmer was my kind of spy. The films where good as well apart from the Ken Russel one which was partly good and partly Ken Russel.