Writing for Criterion in 2002, Bruce Eder opens his long assessment of the film with the statement that it “has the distinction of being the only 'feel-good' realistic spy film ever made. As the movie walks a fine line between serious drama and satirical comedy, and between topicality and escapism, it beguiles the viewer with its sophistication and complexity. The most surprising aspect of "Hopscotch", however, may not be how well it walks that tightrope, but that its makers accomplished this balancing act in an era that saw the spy movie genre reduced to tales of relentless despair...”