This was the debut film of Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks studio, and while it is less than stunning, this film gives an interesting spin to mid-1990s political intrigue.
With George Clooney in what I suppose was his second lead role, after "From Dusk Till Dawn," the story examines post-Cold War Russia and the political catastrophe of U.N. negotiations in the Balkans.
The wonderful Marcel Iures is a Croatian diplomat whose disillusionment with the civil conflict in his country has led him to make a deal with a rogue Russian general to buy a stolen nuclear bomb to blow up the United Nations headquarters in New York. As heartless an act as this may be, the character, nonetheless, is a sympathetic one.
Although the movie takes place largely outside of Russia, there is even some reference to the poor conditions modern-day Russia is plagued by: "Russia, what a f*cking mess, God I miss the Cold War." It's both humorous and to some extent true.
Armin Mueller-Stahl makes an appearance as a former Soviet general who is friends with Clooney's Tom Devoe. The romance angle between Devoe and Nicole Kidman's Julia Kelly is muted by the impending danger surrounding them. They are people from different sides of the political stratosphere, so their relationship might not last long anyway, but it does end with hope in sight, for the true romantic.
Less relevant today than it was at the time it was made, the film is still a very intelligent study on foreign relations in the mid- and late nineties.
With George Clooney in what I suppose was his second lead role, after "From Dusk Till Dawn," the story examines post-Cold War Russia and the political catastrophe of U.N. negotiations in the Balkans.
The wonderful Marcel Iures is a Croatian diplomat whose disillusionment with the civil conflict in his country has led him to make a deal with a rogue Russian general to buy a stolen nuclear bomb to blow up the United Nations headquarters in New York. As heartless an act as this may be, the character, nonetheless, is a sympathetic one.
Although the movie takes place largely outside of Russia, there is even some reference to the poor conditions modern-day Russia is plagued by: "Russia, what a f*cking mess, God I miss the Cold War." It's both humorous and to some extent true.
Armin Mueller-Stahl makes an appearance as a former Soviet general who is friends with Clooney's Tom Devoe. The romance angle between Devoe and Nicole Kidman's Julia Kelly is muted by the impending danger surrounding them. They are people from different sides of the political stratosphere, so their relationship might not last long anyway, but it does end with hope in sight, for the true romantic.
Less relevant today than it was at the time it was made, the film is still a very intelligent study on foreign relations in the mid- and late nineties.