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Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn (reunited from 1981's "Taps) give mismatched performances in this factual account of two privileged young men in the 1970s who sold classified government information to the Soviet Union. Director John Schlesinger doesn't seem to know what to do with icy, immobile Hutton, whose Christopher Boyce never develops quirks or an edge we can respond to. Boyce, working as a civilian defense contractor, is supposed to be disillusioned with the United States government, but we don't understand his turn to duplicity, and Hutton isn't able to communicate the character's frustration. Penn, on the other hand, emotes all over the place as Daulton Lee, a druggie who becomes Boyce's contact with the KGB strictly on mercenary terms. These two should be quite a pair, but there's no acting spark between the stars--they could be performing in two different movies. Screenwriter Steven Zaillian, adapting Robert Lindsey's book, keeps Penn's character prattling on and on, breaking down at one point in dry-eyed torment, and yet the devils haunting these men are not made vivid enough or scary to us. As a result, there's a great deal of arduous acting in "The Falcon and the Snowman" that amounts to little more than annoying static--a poor substitute for suspense or substantial character portraits. *1/2 from ****

This belabored and sloppy spy melodrama featuring two buffoonish (one idealistic, one drug addled) California kids dealing secrets to the KGB never seems to get enough steam up to sustain any tension and suspense before it dies a very slow death over two hours later. John Schlesinger's finished product gives the impression that he was asleep in his director's chair most of the time as the film lags and the actors sleep walk, save for the highly annoying over the top performance of Sean Penn.

Childhood altar boys and friends Chris (Tim Hutton) and Daulton (Penn) devise a plan to sell secrets to the KGB when Chris lands a job that allows him access to top secret government materials. Disillusioned by what he sees as US meddling in foreign affairs the idealistic Chris and the drug hungry Daulton make contact with the Russians and begin to funnel them classified materials. When Chris decides he wants out things begin to unravel at a lackadaisical pace.

The eighties were not kind to distinguished director John Schlesinger. In the 60s and 70s he had a series of critically acclaimed films in both England and America but then came Honky Tonk Freeway in 1981 and it marked the beginning of the end. The Falcon and the Snowman more or less put a lid on it. Lacking the suspense of Marathon Man and the quality performances (Hoffman Voight, Christie, Jackson, Finch, Olivier) he had coaxed from leads in the past Falcon goes in circles most of the way.

Sean Penn chews scenery from start to finish in such an obnoxious fashion you find yourself encouraging his torturers to do more to him. Tim Hutton is governed by his limited acting chops and most of his scenes show a need for more rehearsal time. Lori Singer as Hutton's girlfriend plays it mute most of the way with Schlesinger content to film her vapid expressions. When she does emote you understand why. Only David Suchet as the KGB handler with a piercing eyed introspective presence and restraint acquits himself well.

There are good performances in John Shlesinger's 'The Falcon and the Snowman'. Sean Penn stands out as a drug-riddled rich kid who's up for and into any kind of anti-social behavior. Timmy Hutton is equally good as a former candidate for the priesthood who, for some reason, decides to share U. S. Government secrets with The Soviet Union. And there - in the term 'for some reason' - lies the film's problem.

The film does not provide nearly enough of a reason for him to do it. I believe that we are expected to believe that he - Hutton - is answering to some higher authority; that his disgust with U. S. political machinations proves him to be a better person. A hard concept to buy into as there was nothing in the film's earlier scenes that would have us believe that he is anything more than just confused.

The film deals with transferring merchandise between The U. S. and Mexico. Information passed to the Soviet Consulate in Mexico City, and drugs passed from Mexico to The U. S. That these two plot-lines become entangled is never clearly explained; the 'how' of it, as well as the 'why'. But once they do, the tone of the film changes. It becomes harder to follow. As though some explanatory scenes were excised from the finished product.

And finally, I was never sure about my feelings regarding the Timothy Hutton character. I suspect he was as close to a hero as the film has. Even so I found it difficult to root for someone as naive and ignorant of the ways of the world as his character displays.

And without someone to root for, well, I'm sorry, but the film added up to a lot of nothing.