The film has an interesting (real) story to tell about the Austrian ruling class in the final days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, just before World War I. It does that by the focussing on the fortunes and misfortunes of its central character, Oberst Redl, a career-officer from comparatively humble origins.
The story is interesting, the performances are good, but this is still not a great film. Why? I often felt I was watching an adaptation of a stage play, e.g. the movie moves along at a very slow pace and is equally slow into getting us into the lead character. Moreover, I felt distracted by sets and costumes. Austrian uniforms from that period were very glamorous and so it is quite appropriate to use them, but the viewer is constantly subjected to all this glamour, distracting his or her attention from what the film really wants to say.
The story is interesting, the performances are good, but this is still not a great film. Why? I often felt I was watching an adaptation of a stage play, e.g. the movie moves along at a very slow pace and is equally slow into getting us into the lead character. Moreover, I felt distracted by sets and costumes. Austrian uniforms from that period were very glamorous and so it is quite appropriate to use them, but the viewer is constantly subjected to all this glamour, distracting his or her attention from what the film really wants to say.