Icon (2005)

Decent International Thriller

First of all, yes the main baddie was a Russian, but to bring him down required not only Patrick Swayze's character, Monk, but also the woman agent of the FSB and also Monk's Russian friend. What's more, a Russian general is portrayed as a hero to his country, both past (his refusal to butcher Chechneyans) and in present (he orders the troops not to fire on the demonstrators). Also there were two morally ambiguous to downright evil Americans involved in the plot as well. As for Patrick Swayze being 50, get over it - he handled his action scenes quite well. All in all an enjoyable mini-series from Hallmark/Forsythe. November 1, 2007

Laughable

I agree a 100% with Gontzes, the scenario is totally outdated and shows a lack of understanding of today's Russia. But it's well shot, and the actors are good. But the Moscow you see is a clean one - for postcards only. Moscow i an enormous city, 90% of which consists of terrible places, in terrible state. Moscow is not the Red Square, the Pushkin square, etc.

Being a russian speaker, I have to add one detail which speaks for the entire movie : everytime actors are outside on the streets, we hear over and over the same sentences by a young man and a woman, which must be here for some "realistic purpose" : "lady, can I get your name, please ?", "Looks like it's gonna rain", etc. First it made me laugh, then it became really annoying. They take people for imbeciles or what ?

And also, being a fan of Swayze's, I felt pity for him : come on, the guy's over 50, and he's fighting like in "Roadhouse". Time for some reality check, tempus fugit... October 26, 2006

MASTERS OF PROPAGANDA...

Icon brings to the screen the highly unlikely scenario that the Russian president would unleash deadly viruses on most, if not all, ethnic minorities living within the Russian Federation.
The film starts off very well with a James Bondish beginning and continues so, up until about 15 minutes into the movie; from then on it's downhill all the way to the very bottom.
The good things first:
1) Annika Peterson (who is GORGEOUS)!
2) The music is really good.
3) It provides for some GREAT scenery of Moscow.
On the negative side now:
1) It's the same old/usual clichés involving one of Hollywood's favorite villains/scapegoats: the Russians (surprisingly there were no Serbs or Germans in this one...). Can we not find something more original than the USUAL crazy/deranged/dangerous Russian "boogieman" (or the USUAL German/Nazi "bad guy" cliché for that matter), together with the leading to the USUAL need to be rescued by the benevolent Anglo-Americans? Is that too much to ask? Why aren't the Turks or the Israelis ever the villains or even the Portuguese, the Swiss or the Swedes (names of countries chosen randomly)?
2) Bad choice of actors. The aged Patrick Swayze does not live up to our expectations in his role as Jason Monk. Moreover, the choices for Komarov and the American campaign manager are poor at best. In all these cases, the actors' performances are disheartening and subsequently they are not convincing in their roles.
3) The FSB has the ability to track down and kill everyone except the "heroes"...
4) Weak car chases and action scenes serve more to annoy than to entertain.
5) How did the girl, Elena, survive all these years without parents in a country where the economy has seen better days, yet alone have a gorgeous, big apartment (???), not to mention her superb handling of computers and surveillance equipment!
6) What's the point of the fictitious/non-existent Russian Liberation "terrorist movement" when there are real Chechen terrorists out there? Oh, I forgot; the Russians have to be the baddies while the Chechens are the poor victims... Have mercy on us, please!
7) To call the ending "predictable" is the understatement of the year!
8) The not-so-hidden and rather dangerous political and "moral" (or lack of...) messages included in the film, plot/storyline.
There is the association of patriotism and nationalism with madness and lunacy, unless it is of course in the name of democracy...
There is a term used in such situations and it's called... propaganda!
In short, the film does a fairly good job of getting the message across, as it should do, in making people aware of the evils of biological weapons and the danger that they pose.
If a Patrick Swayze is what you had in mind, check out the AMAZING series North and South, and the movies Next of Kin and Ghost.
In conclusion, the potential for a great movie was there. A shame really...1.1 Stars
November 17, 2005

Fast Paced Political Thriller

Based on Frederick Forsyth's novel "Icon", this Hallmark production has a large and excellent international cast, car chases, gun battles, and the latest in espionage gizmos. What is truly wonderful is the scenic, bustling, city of Moscow used as a backdrop for this story of terrorist activity in connection with political gain, in the midst of a presidential campaign. It is a city we rarely see in current films, and makes this above average TV miniseries a delight to watch.

The sometimes improbable plot is complex with many twists and turns, and concerns 2 candidates for the presidency, Igor Komarov (Patrick Bergin) and General Nikolayev (Joss Ackland), and the devious methods used by one of them to win. Sir Nigel Irvine of the British Embassy (Michael York) gets ex-CIA man Jason Monk (Patrick Swayze in a marvelous performance) to uncover the truth, and he teams up with his old friend Viktor (Steven Spiers) and investigator Sonija (Annika Peterson). Others in the cast include Barry Morse as the current Russian president, Jeff Fahey as a political consultant, and Ben Cross as a thuggish ex-KGB man. Directed by Charles Martin Smith, with terrific cinematography by David Connell and an atmospheric score by Mark Kilian and Daniel Licht, this is a lavish production, and highly entertaining.

The DVD package contains the full 3 hour 2-part miniseries, and comes with 2 discs, 1 with a wide screen version, the other with full screen. Bonus features include "The Making of 'Icon'", which has a short interview with Swayze and otherwise just follows the cast and crew as they are filming, with no commentary. Those who enjoyed Cold War spy thrillers will like this "modern day" film about Russian politics and intrigue
October 14, 2005

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