Gorky Park is a murder mystery set in Moscow in the Soviet era, a mystery with ties to the KGB and the climate of hyper-surveillance in the Red State. It works as a procedural and as a political thriller, but I think its strengths lie more in the picture it paints of the USSR. Filmed in Finland, the movie has a nice stark atmosphere, and the lack of well-known landmarks actually makes it more convincing. We're not seeing the tourist's Moscow, but the residential zones, the contryside, etc. The characters must work within a culture where freedom is curtailed, and where it is a natural fact of life, and that's well represented to. In fact, the root of evil in this world is capitalism! A good use of the unusual point of view. I do have issues with the film noir femme fatale element, which even the dialog admits is melodrama, but it still works playing off then-unknown William Hurt's stony performance. Almost certainly one of director Michael Apted's best films, if not his best known.
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Siskoid
Gorky Park is a murder mystery set in Moscow in the Soviet era, a mystery with ties to the KGB and the climate of hyper-surveillance in the Red State. It works as a procedural and as a political thriller, but I think its strengths lie more in the picture it paints of the USSR. Filmed in Finland, the movie has a nice stark atmosphere, and the lack of well-known landmarks actually makes it more convincing. We're not seeing the tourist's Moscow, but the residential zones, the contryside, etc. The characters must work within a culture where freedom is curtailed, and where it is a natural fact of life, and that's well represented to. In fact, the root of evil in this world is capitalism! A good use of the unusual point of view. I do have issues with the film noir femme fatale element, which even the dialog admits is melodrama, but it still works playing off then-unknown William Hurt's stony performance. Almost certainly one of director Michael Apted's best films, if not his best known.