Russian spies, scammers, and the Soviet past still haunt the West and its intelligence services. This is not an excerpt from the news, but a brief description of 3 foreign series from 2022.

It's impossible not to notice that recently there have been more and more projects featuring Soviet or Russian spies in one way or another. It seems this can already be called a Western trend, and in the foreseeable future, a Western movie cliché (if it hasn't become one already).

Many films and series that depicted Russian/Soviet reality often suffered from an abundance of 'cranberries' (clichés). Particularly scandalous among recent ones was 'Red Sparrow' with Jennifer Lawrence. Since then, creators have tried to avoid embarrassing clichés but can't resist the temptation to hit the old notes, which became obvious, for example, in 'Black Widow'.

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It's not just big-budget Marvel that makes such mistakes. Even Netflix with its enormous budgets sometimes allows itself too many liberties regarding Russian culture and history. In 'Stranger Things', they literally centered the plot of one of the seasons around Soviet villains, and in their most expensive film, 'Red Notice', they didn't bother with basic factual accuracy. And where would the money for that come from (or decent graphics and a script) when the entire budget went to the fees of Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot. And even though many have long begun to perceive 'cranberries' in cinema as a joke, it still looks, at the very least, unprofessional and low-grade. The only excuse for this is that the position of Western cinema hasn't changed much in its representation of, for example, China either.

In 2022, three series have already been released where Russian spies or scammers not only appear in the plot but are in the lead roles. We watched them, analyzed them, and delivered a verdict: nonsense or are there reasonable elements?

'Inventing Anna'

A Netflix mini-series from the screenwriter of 'Grey's Anatomy', the inimitable Shonda Rhimes, about the con artist Anna Delvey (Julia Garner), based on real events. The creator drew inspiration from the scandalous article by Jessica Pressler in New York Magazine, and in the series, the journalist's prototype is named Vivien Kent, played by Anna Chlumsky (star of the satire 'Veep').

For several years, Delvey — a native of the USSR who moved to Germany and then to the USA — deceived the elite of New York and extorted money from Wall Street financiers. All of this resulted in a huge scandal and legal proceedings. And the scale of the fraudster's machinations simultaneously amazes and frightens, it seems, even the creators of the series themselves.

We are presented with a tangled story of the fraudster's past, present, and future, trying to find, if not justification, then at least understanding of why Anna Delvey deceived everyone around her. Is she a genius or mentally ill? There are many dates, different places, and people, and it's easy to get lost in all of this, and the chaotic nature of the plot can even be irritating. However, the viewers are summarized with all the main points and conclusions during the personal conversations between Vivien and Delvey; you just have to wait for them.

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Despite the constant change of locations and surroundings, this series feels slightly drawn out. Too many facts were crammed into every meter of film by the showrunners. You don't have time to filter out the important from the secondary. Also, there are exaggerations and embellishments here, which Shonda Rhimes loves so much: they help add a 'soap opera' element to the plot, so dear to the hearts of many, no matter what anyone says.

And yet, it's hard not to watch the series to the end. First of all, because it's interesting: what trick will come next, what deception awaits the next banker who trusted the pretty blonde. And also because it's curious to watch how the venerable elite of New York are ashamed of their stupidity, preferring to remain silent about reputational losses. And of course, it's very hard to take your eyes off the world of expensive apartments, luxurious restaurants, and complete permissiveness — because 'Inventing Anna' allows everyone a peek into this closed club for the chosen few. And there is no 'cranberry' here at all; the USSR is mentioned as a place of birth, and nothing more.

'In from the Cold'

Another Netflix project where the plot centers on a girl with Russian roots. The main character, Jenny, is a former KGB agent who managed to escape Soviet guardianship and build a life in the USA. But one day, when she goes to Spain with her daughter, she is reminded of her past life, where her name was Anya Petrova with the codename 'Whisper'.

First of all, it must be said that this is a fantastic series with elements of reality. The creators tried to maintain a balance between reality and fiction, but it seems they prefer fiction. The story jumps between our time and Moscow in the 1990s, when spy games were a favorite topic not only in politics but also in art.

Right away, I want to pay tribute to the series for not having Russians played by foreigners with terrible accents. The main spy is played by Margarita Levieva, who was born in Leningrad and moved to the USA at age 11 (but didn't forget the Russian language). Young Anya Petrova is played by Russian actress Stasya Miloslavskaya, and another Russian, Alena Khmelnitskaya, plays the mentor of the young spy.

Among the project's pluses are the attempts to convey the atmosphere of Russia in the 1990s: a huge amount of work was done by the costume designers. Even the music was chosen to match the era: in the scenes where Petrova goes to a rave, tracks by the band 'Tekhnologiya', popular in the early 90s, are played.

But that's probably where the good stuff ends. 'In from the Cold' was filmed in Madrid, so the Moscow subway in the series looks like a poorly retouched picture with interspersed shots from the New York subway (or maybe it was just a leaky chroma key). The interiors of Soviet apartments also look questionable: a mix of Russian names on books and budget furniture from the IKEA catalog.

And the icing on the cake is the myths about Soviet special services and spies. This can be attributed to the main 'cranberry' of the series, which becomes simply ridiculous. For example, in one of the dialogues, it is said that one of the best intelligence officers, Anya Petrova, gained freedom and was able to build a life in the USA when 'Russia lost its grip,' and intelligence in the country was not a priority. Not to mention the fantastic powers attributed to KGB officers who were raised in the USSR.

Overall, 'In from the Cold' is a mediocre spy series, dynamic in places, even intriguing in places. The actors perform well, and there are no major logical holes. But still, while watching, you can't shake the feeling of the series' complete detachment from reality and the urge to laugh out loud. Perhaps it will suit those who liked 'Red Sparrow'.

'The Endgame'

Remember 'The Italian Job' with Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg from 2003? Or 'Army of Thieves' from 2021? These films (and many others on a similar theme) have one thing in common — a clever heist plan where the viewer sincerely empathizes with the criminals and wants their multi-million dollar caper to succeed. And then, on top of that, under the guise of a heist, other more personal and less mercantile motives emerge, which increases the degree of empathy.

The series 'The Endgame' continues this tradition, and leading the parade is the gorgeous Morena Baccarin in the role of a brilliant criminal, a native of Russia, Elena Fedorova. She falls into the hands of US law enforcement, but even while in a secure prison, she manages to orchestrate a series of bank robberies. And in parallel, she exposes the rotten secrets of officials.

The dynamics of the relationship development between the characters here sometimes resembles 'Point Break' with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze (and other numerous similar projects). It's a story about how even a law enforcer can see a comrade and a person in a criminal.

One of the showrunners of 'The Endgame' is Justin Lin — director of several 'Fast & Furious' films, so there's plenty of action here. The script is handled, among others, by Nicholas Wootton, who worked on 'Law & Order' and 'Prison Break'. Therefore, the series has a twisted plot with multi-level intrigue, where each new trick by Fedorova complicates the lives of FBI and national security agents. Will they be able to maintain the bar in the future, as hints of a continuation are already there?

By the way, feminism is very harmoniously integrated here, shown through the confrontation of strong women, which looks natural and not forced into the story.

What about the 'cranberries'? There are almost none here. Russia is mentioned as a biographical fact and nothing more. The focus is on the personality, not the nationality. While watching, you can even forget that the heroine is from Russia, if they didn't regularly repeat her name and show events from the past. In some ways, the glimpses of Fedorova's Russian life look even more European: it has little relation to reality, but at least it doesn't grate.

P. S.

For those who read to the end, a small bonus. If you are looking for something high-quality about the confrontation between the USSR and the USA, then watch the HBO series 'The Americans' about Soviet spies. The plot centers on a pair of KGB officers sent to the US capital, Washington, to gather information, and their cover is the role of a married couple. The action takes place in the 1980s.

This is, first and foremost, a series about moral dilemmas, family values, and ethical norms, and only then a spy drama. It's about what loyalty to the motherland means and what a person is willing to do for it. 'The Americans' has been awarded many film awards, including a Golden Globe and several Emmys, and deservedly so.

The incredible Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, after all, played the spouses so convincingly that they became a couple in real life. But besides the awards, acting, stylization to the era, high-quality plot, honest and fair depiction of the USA and USSR (without 'cranberries'), perhaps the main merit of 'The Americans' now is how sincerely and powerfully the series' story resonates with the current times and its events.