GORKY PARK (1983)

Director: Michael Apted

Writers: Dennis Potter adapting the original novel by Martin Cruz Smith

Producer: Gene Kirkwood, Howard W. Koch, Jr.

Cast: William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy, Joanna Pacula, Ian Bannen, Michael Elphick, Rikki Fulton, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDiarmid, Alexei Sayle, Alexander Knox, Niall O’Brien, Henry Woolfe, Tusse Silberg, Patrick Field, Marjatta Nissinen, Jukka Hirvikangas, Hekki Lepannen, Lauri Törhönen, Elsa Salamas, Lasse Lindberg, Jussi Parviainen, Anatoli Davydov, Lasse Lind (uncredited), Jarmo Koski (uncredited), and the bands Bad Sign and Black Pearls 

In Moscow, Russia, three murder victims are found near an ice skating rink in Gorky Park. The faces of the corpses have been removed. Police Chief Investigator Arkady Renko (William Hurt) investigates the crimes. Since the KGB are also immediately at the crime scene, Renko suspects that very important and powerful people are involved in the killings. 

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Gorky Park is a top-notch thriller. It has an intricate plot with subterfuge, double-crosses, and corruption almost everywhere. Since the story takes place in the Soviet Union, there is a palpable sense of paranoia at all times. The oppression and lack of freedom in this authoritarian society is an obstacle even for Inspector Renko. He is always aware that he may be under surveillance if his investigations uncover governmental foul play.

William Hurt leads a very fine cast. His Chief Investigator Arkady Renko is a hero we can believe in. His restraint and integrity make him seem credible as someone that could have the intelligence and perseverance to uncover the truth. There is no macho swagger or one-man-army heroics on display here. His satisfaction is in solving the puzzle of this strange case and exposing the corruption he knows is rife among the Russian authorities. Trying to do so in such an authoritarian environment makes Renko very vulnerable and truly admirable.

Brian Dennehy provides great support as the American Detective William Kerwill. For very personal reasons, he has come to Russia after the same quarry as Renko. Initially, they are adversaries but become allies on the case. We come to admire Kerwill just as much as Renko. They play well off of each other without their relationship ever devolving into the cop-buddy antics that many more trivial '80s films resort to. 

The beautiful Polish model-turned-actress Joanna Pacula appears here in an early film role. Her character of movie set worker Irina Asanova has a connection to the Gorky Park victims, and she becomes of interest to Investigator Renko. Despite her beauty, Irina is not immediately likable. Like many Russians, she is suspicious of everyone’s intentions and less than cooperative with Renko’s investigation. Nevertheless, Renko finds her hard-bitten humor and blunt assessments alternately endearing and frustrating. Pacula’s performance was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. 

I know that actor Lee Marvin is practically a legend. I can’t say that I have seen a lot of his work and Gorky Park may have been the first time I ever saw him on film. Marvin made an immediate and powerful impression on me. Without ever straining, he exudes a presence and authority you can’t ignore. As American businessman Jack Osborne, Marvin displays cold confidence and alternately charming and belittling wit. It seems perfectly natural that this charismatic and intimidating character could ingratiate himself with the Russian upper echelon. 

Director Michael Apted brings us a police procedural and political thriller with characters and situations that all seem appropriate and compelling. There is mystery, danger, and heartache that play out in unexpected ways, but these are never forced for over-the-top spectacle. Therefore, we remain involved in the reality of this film’s world and are moved by the story’s outcome. 

Early '80s genre film maestro James Horner opens the film with a bone-chilling score that sets the tone immediately. His themes compliment the settings and situations perfectly. 

Gorky Park was perhaps a fitting and contrary movie to be made during the Reagan era when anti-Soviet Union sentiments seemed to be ratcheting up. While it shows how oppressive life in Russia was, it still portrays many Russian characters with humanity and integrity. It is not deliberately propagandized as many action films of the time were becoming. Gorky Park makes the point that corruption is everywhere, and good old American capitalism can exploit that market.

THE GYPSY MOTHS (1969)

Director: John Frankenheimer

Writers: William Hanley adapting James Drought’s original novel

Producers: Hal Landers, Bobby Roberts

Cast: Burt Lancaster, Gene Hackman, Scott Wilson, Deborah Kerr, William Windom, Bonnie Bedelia, Sheree North, John Napier, Carl Reindel, Ford Rainey 

Mike Rettig (Burt Lancaster), Joe Browdy (Gene Hackman), and Malcolm Webson (Scott Wilson) are a team of skydivers that drive from town to town to perform their aerial stunts for public exhibitions. When they arrive in young Malcolm’s childhood hometown of Bridgeville, Kansas, Malcolm suggests that they stay at the home of Elizabeth and John Brandon (Deborah Kerr and William Windom). The Brandons are Malcolm’s aunt and uncle that he has not seen since he was orphaned. It soon becomes apparent that the Brandons are an unhappy and distant couple. While the skydiving trio prep for their performance that July 4th weekend, the risk-taking Rettig seems drawn to Elizabeth. 

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The attention-getting skydiving sequences may distinguish this film, but The Gypsy Moths is primarily a strange drama. The trio of Rettig, Browdy, and Webson are always on the move in a nomadic existence of travel, promotion, and performance to score some quick cash before packing up and moving on. One can’t really say that these guys are just trying to find themselves. Their motivations are mostly unspoken. We don’t know much about their background or why they risk death time after time in their performances. They never define goals they are striving for. At one point Browdy does suggest that maybe someday he’ll head to Hollywood to become a stuntman, yet no one is listening to him.

Burt Lancaster’s Mike Rettig is the uneasy subcurrent running through this story. Rettig keeps taking greater risks in his performances. He spends a lot of the film saying very little and we learn almost nothing about him. We only become aware of some of his feelings when he tells Deborah Kerr’s Elizabeth Brandon what he wants. Afterwards we are still left to wonder just what is running through Rettig’s mind and how he will react. 

This film’s stunt casting is the reunion of Lancaster with Deborah Kerr. From Here to Eternity (1953) had immortalized them with their iconic love-in-the-surf scene. Here they are two characters with different temperaments that are drawn to each other, yet both are risk-takers. Rettig’s risks are how he makes his living and that deadly edge seems to validate his life. Elizabeth risks upending the joyless security of her marriage by taking a growing interest in Rettig.

Scott Wilson, as Malcolm Webson, is the youngest member of the skydiving team. Although it is not stated, Webson was probably the replacement for a previous member of the group killed during a performance. This “kid” in the group shows the most safety-conscious sense of the trio. He is aware of Rettig’s growing recklessness in the act and tries to express that concern to him. Even though Webson is having his group stay with his relatives, he is not close to his aunt and uncle. He has not seen the Brandons since he was a child and still seems as alone in the world as his co-performers.

Bonnie Bedelia makes one of her earliest film appearances as Annie Burke, the college student also rooming with the Brandons. Despite the chemistry Annie has with Webson, there is still a bit of awkwardness between them. While this is perfectly natural between people that have only recently met, it seems that all of the main characters in this story have difficulty communicating and connecting at an emotional level. 

The live wire that provides most of the energy in the cast is Gene Hackman. As the boisterous Joe Browdy, he usually does most of the talking and provides some good humor. Browdy seems to be an absolutely carefree character, but this good-time Charley can be a bit sensitive about his devout churchgoing. Whether he does this to atone for his bawdy nightlife, to pray for safety during his daredevil performances, or to be sure he is ready to meet his maker if one of his stunts goes wrong is unclear. 

With this cast and some very impressive free-falling camerawork capturing the skydiving action, anyone should become involved with this unique story. However, Sheree North, as the Paradise Club waitress and stripper Mary, is the film’s most bedazzling spectacle. With her world-weary wit, big blue eyes, and fine form, her character deserved to headline a film all her own. This flashback fanatic has been hopelessly smitten once again.

The Gypsy Moths is an odd film that may leave many unsatisfied. Its characters are often defined by what they will not say or the choices that they won’t make. It does not provide the predictable and pat resolutions that we probably wish for some of its characters. Most viewers may find this sort of narrative frustrating, but those same people probably felt something along the way and are made to ponder whether the characters’ decisions will make them happy.

THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN (1971)

Director: Robert Wise

Writers: Nelson Gidding, Michael Crichton (original novel)

Producer: Robert Wise

Cast: Arthur Hill, James Olson, David Wayne, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Ken Swofford, Peter Hobbs, Richard O’Brien, Eric Christmas, Mark Jenkins, Peter Helm, Carl Reindel, Richard Bull, Joe Di Reda, John Carter, Frances Reid, Glenn Langan (uncredited), James W. Gavin (uncredited), Michael Pataki (uncredited), Susan Brown (uncredited) 

When a small U.S. space satellite crashes to Earth, it is carrying something that has caused the citizens in the little town of Piedmont, New Mexico to drop dead. The military immediately rounds up a small team of doctors preselected for just such an emergency. The team, the downed satellite, and the only two Piedmont survivors are brought to Wildfire: A remote desert facility designed to isolate, study, and exterminate dangerous microorganisms. 

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The Andromeda Strain is a fine example of the sort of serious science fiction films that were made just before Star Wars (1977) hijacked the genre. Its very measured pace and carefully presented details regarding its menace and the government facility techniques of dealing with it are far more gripping than an ever-escalating flurry of special effects action in fantasy worlds full of people and creatures with funny names. Of course, The Andromeda Strain requires people to actually pay attention, which takes more effort than oohing and aahing at filmic fireworks.

Although hyperactive fantasy with sci-fi trappings often leaves me cold, I have little tolerance for writers foisting upon me purely concept-driven science fiction. That kind of stuff often feels as if a frustrated professor is trying to show off presumed intellect by preaching to a captive audience. Such writers do not take into account that the reader can close their book without even the fear of a flunking grade. The trick is to present this content with good storytelling. The storytelling is ultimately why anyone is reading a story or watching a film. I can’t remember the last time I got off on a good textbook. 

While I have not read the original Michael Crichton novel, I must say that director Robert Wise’s film makes what could have been deadly dull exposition and scientific jargon comprehensible and compelling. We have a real sense of the planning and discipline involved in trying to identify and overcome a new threat to all human life on Earth. 

The earliest scenes are seemingly matter-of-fact, but are presented with an increasing sense of the unknown and dread. This adds momentum to the plot that will keep us intrigued as we learn more about the government contingency plans to deal with the once-hypothetical menace. 

I appreciate the government’s take-no-shit efficiency rounding up the civilian doctors that were assigned to the Wildfire Laboratory team. This is an aspect that drives home the urgency of this situation. Despite a few procedural snafus and disputes about the appropriate protocols, everyone involved in the government, military, and scientific teams are acknowledging the danger and allied to deal with it. It sure would be nice to believe that sort of united effort could be counted on to deal with our world’s present-day perils. 

There is an added note of paranoia raised, which is never resolved, about the government’s intentions regarding the discovery of the space germ stowaway aboard the crashed satellite. Was it only accidental that the microorganism attached itself to the small spacecraft, or was the mission of Project Scoop to find extraterrestrial traces of life for bioweapon development? 

The Andromeda Strain goes to great lengths to establish its setting. We are given a thorough understanding of how the top secret Wildfire facility is designed and shown the progression of procedures and exams the Wildfire team must pass through before they can be admitted to the deepest level of the complex to begin their work. All of these details are interesting and serve to make the audience relate to this place as something more real than just sci-fi film set design. 

The reason this film really works is that the heroes of the story are believable as doctors qualified to deal with this crisis. Actors Arthur Hill, David Wayne, Kate Reid, and James Olson portray these characters as distinctive individuals without distracting from the dire concerns of the plot. There is a bit of humor presented and an occasional cynicism aired in regards to the government’s procedures and ulterior motives, but there is no emotional grandstanding. No one is presented as the movie star ideal that we know will save the day and find romance or redemption. Character backstories here are almost non-existent. These are just very qualified professionals that can be stressed and frustrated, yet they are dedicated to dealing with this crisis. They are not going to prevent disaster with contrived stunts and one-liners. They can only succeed with intelligence and diligence. 

The Andromeda Strain is the sort of science fiction that dispenses with the whimsy and confronts a very frightening “what-if” in a stark and pragmatic manner. It also reminds us of one of original author Michael Crichton’s perennial concerns: Despite all of man’s planning, he can’t foresee every complication and his technology may not always perform as intended.