A strong political and psychological thriller. One of the best in his genre. And in this regard, I can’t help but compare it with the famous “Three Days of the Condor” by Sydney Pollack, because the themes of both films are very similar – both here and there the dirty activities of the special services are exposed. However, there are differences between them:
- The first one concerns the ending.
The second is related to the personalities of negative characters. In “Condor” they cause, if not sympathy, then respect for sure. This applies to the head of killers Joubert, brilliantly played by Max von Sudov, and the head of the New York branch of the CIA Higgins. And in "I'm afraid" - nothing like that! Villains here are nasty and creepy types, without the slightest sign of charm. What is worth only the Colonel of counterintelligence Ritz with his face (in my opinion, Damiani specially selected the actor with such a vile view of the role). He certainly can't sleep.
And you know, Damiani’s approach is somehow closer to me, because he does the right thing – he does not ennoble evil, as other directors did and do voluntarily, showing the types of “charming villains.”
9 out of 10