The film has beautiful photography and the best parts of the film are where Hoffman's gruff German spy is manipulating the other characters into their various betrayals.

----
It's a reminder of Hoffman's physical metamorphic abilities. It is like he able to rearrange his face to reflect the character.

----
It forms a bit of a companion piece to *Tinker, Tailor...*; there the character's hatred of America forms the vague rationale for his betrayal.

Here we see the American's fucking over their allies with a smile, alienating them without concern now that there is no-one else offering an alternative.

----
It's rare to see a film that humiliates its protagonist as the film's climax.

----
The final scene's unusual framing is more poignant after Hoffman's death but would have been striking even without it.