10 Best Movies Based On His Novels, Ranked By IMDb

Several of John Le Carre's novels have been adapted into movies. Here are the best ones ranked by IMDb.

The world of film and literature suffered a major hit with the passing of acclaimed spy novelist John le Carre on December 12, 2020. The British author and expert in literary espionage first came to Hollywood in 1965 when his third novel The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was adapted into a well-received feature film.

Since then, at least 10 of le Carre's novels have been adapted to the big-screen and five to the small screen. In 2016, le Carre earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for the adaptation of his novel The Night Manager. With more than five decades of work in Hollywood, here's how John le Carre's filmography measures up.

10 The Looking Glass War (1970) 5.9/10

Based on le Carre's novel of the same name, The Looking Glass War follows a traitorous Polack who is given a chance to gain British citizenship if he successfully undertakes a top-secret mission in Germany.

After jumping ship to meet his pregnant British girlfriend, the Polish Leiser (Christopher Jones) meets British intelligence director Leclerc (Ralph Richardson) and is given an assignment to monitor nearby missile sites. If he succeeds, Leiser will receive full immunity and political asylum.

9 The Little Drummer Girl (1984) 6.1/10

The most recent le Carre novel to be adapted to the small-screen was The Little Drummer Girl, which was also adapted as a feature film by George Roy Hill in 1984.

The film stars Diane Keaton as Charlie, an American actress who is chosen by the Israeli government to participate in a masterful ruse to catch a Palestinian terrorist. Due to her ability to lie with convincing results, Charlie is recruited to impersonate the girlfriend of the dead Israeli soldier's brother, who died in a bombing attack.

8 The Russia House (1990) 6.1/10

Based on Le Carre's 1989 novel of the same name, The Russia House is a romantic spy thriller starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, the latter of which landed a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

Scripted by acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard, the film traces the likes of gruff British ex-pat and book publisher Barley Blair (Connery) who is hired to authenticate top-secret Russian intel written in three notebooks delivered to his publishing house. Pfeiffer plays the Russian seductress Katya.

7 The Tailor Of Panama (2001) 6.1/10

In John Boorman's The Tailor of Panama, the philandering MI6 Agent Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) is dispatched to Panama as punishment for bedding the wrong woman in Spain. When told to befriend a local Brit to gain intel, Osnard recruits Harry (Geoffrey Rush), a men's tailor with his own sordid past.

As Harry becomes a British spy agent, Osnard gains access to his high-powered clientele, including Manuel Noriega and his criminal cohorts.

6 Our Kind Of Traitor (2016) 6.2/10

The most recent big-screen adaptation of a Le Carre novel includes Our Kind of Traitor, a book published in 2010. Directed by Susanna White, the film follows a British couple who become involved with the Russian mafia while on vacation in Morocco.

Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris star as married couple Perry and Gail, who become swept up in money laundering, espionage, and coldblooded murder when meeting a Russian mobster on holiday. When Dima (Stellan Skarsgaard) offers sensitive British intel in exchange for safe haven, Perry is put in a precarious scenario.

5 The Deadly Affair (1967) 6.8/10

Although le Carre went uncredited at the time, Sidney Lumet's 1967 film The Deadly Affair is based on the scribe's first novel, Call For The Dead. The film was nominated for five BAFTAs.

James Mason stars as Charles Dobbs, a British spy attempting to solve the so-called suicide of Samuel Fennan (Robert Flemyng). When the evidence points to an organized assassination attempt, Dobbs uses the help of a police officer and an old war buddy to uncover a vast conspiracy.

4 A Most Wanted Man (2014) 6.8/10

Philip Seymour Hoffman gave his penultimate screen performance in A Most Wanted Man, a German-set tale of political intrigue based on le Carre's 2008 novel of the same name.

The story revolves around Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a Chechen-Russian immigrant brutally tortured by Russian authorities. When Issa enters Hamburg, Gunther Bachmann (Hoffman) leads a team of investigators out to determine Issa's true identity as either a legitimate refugee or international terrorist.

3 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) 7.0/10

More than two decades after the same novel was adapted to the small screen as a TV series, Gary Oldman stepped into the role of George Smiley in the movie version of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy. Oldman scored an Oscar nod for his performance.

Named Best British Film at the 2012 BAFTAs, the Cold-War thriller centers on George Smiley's return from quasi-retirement to catch a Russian mole hidden in the British MI6 intelligence agency. Along the way, Smiley encounters cold double agents, counterintelligence, and a slew of unsavory characters.

2 The Constant Gardener (2005) 7.4/10

Fernando Meirelles followed-up his acclaimed Brazilian thriller City of God with the adaptation of le Carre's The Constant Gardener. The film landed four Oscar nods, including a win for Rachel Weisz as Best Supporting Actress.

Plot-wise, the story traces Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a reserved British doctor who goes on an epic sojourn through Africa to uncover the truth about his wife Tessa's (Weisz) vicious murder. Fighting contradictory rumors, Quayle's journey leads to the harrowing discovery of a global conspiracy much bigger than he could have imagined.

1 The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965) 7.6/10

The first film adapted from a le Carre novel still ranks as the best, according to IMDB. Martin Ritt's riveting adaptation of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold earned two Oscar nods, including Best Leading Actor for Sir Richard Burton.

The story tracks Alec Leamas (Burton), a British spy in the 1960s sent to East Germany in a purported defection campaign. However, Leamas' real mission is to spread misinformation. When Leamas realizes he's just a cog in a government wheel, he begins to question his mission and the nature of the Cold War.

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