Is Gorky Park a Great Film?

Posted by: George J on 09 August 2014

I do not what a really great film is, but apart from The Cruel Sea, and A Night To Remember, I find it has compelled me to watch as attentively and as often as Tinker Taylor, Soldier Spy, Smiley's People, and A Perfect Spy, apart from Find Hansen's films of his miniature handmade engines that are either real diesels or semi-diesels [gloukopf]!

 

ATB from George

 

PS: I discount documentaries from this ...

Posted on: 10 August 2014 by Cat lover

Yes it's a fine thriller with excellent actors.

 

In the Norwegian line, I can definitely recommend 'In Order of Disappearance', with Stellan Skarsgaard (yes, not Norwegian, but a 'well-assimilated immigrant') and Bruno Ganz as a Serbian godfather.  Much bad stuff happens in blackly humorous fashion. And the film is a paean to high powered snow blowers as the national symbol of  Norway.

Posted on: 26 September 2014 by rupert

What makes a great film is it the story line the acting  or the ground breaking  technolgy of Granity ,Is it the sum of its parts,I think Gravity is leading the way great on TV but can't comper it to a good Bogart film like the treasure of siera mardi hope I have spelt it right.

Posted on: 07 October 2014 by Big Bill
Originally Posted by rupert:

What makes a great film is it the story line the acting  or the ground breaking  technolgy of Granity ,Is it the sum of its parts,I think Gravity is leading the way great on TV but can't comper it to a good Bogart film like the treasure of siera mardi hope I have spelt it right.

...or 'The Big Sleep'

 

But the William Hurt version of Gorky Park is a good film and I assume that is the one we are talking about here - or has it been re-made.

 

The original Oceans 11 was a great movie and the final joke made me titter but the remakes have all een nothing films.  err just like the Italian Job.

Posted on: 07 October 2014 by George J

Golly, this thread is still alive.

 

I watched Gorky Park again last evening. Yes, the one with William Hurt in it, and a whole crew of British actors as well as Lee Marvin, improbably cast as a Russophile US American crook with high connections in the Russia. He does superbly in such a role.

 

ATB from George

Posted on: 07 October 2014 by Big Bill
Originally Posted by George J:

Golly, this thread is still alive.

 

I watched Gorky Park again last evening. Yes, the one with William Hurt in it, and a whole crew of British actors as well as Lee Marvin, improbably cast as a Russophile US American crook with high connections in the Russia. He does superbly in such a role.

 

ATB from George

It was apparently filmed in Finland btw.

Posted on: 08 October 2014 by George J

I knew it was filmed in Finland, though presumable the Stockholm timing was properly in Sweden.

 

I ordered the film with Vanessa Redgrave in called 

 

Playing For Time

 

after watching it on youtube. Very sad, and I knew some of the story already, so certain characters were known to me also.

 

ATB from George

Posted on: 08 October 2014 by Big Bill
Originally Posted by George J:

I knew it was filmed in Finland, though presumable the Stockholm timing was properly in Sweden.

 

I ordered the film with Vanessa Redgrave in called 

 

Playing For Time

 

after watching it on youtube. Very sad, and I knew some of the story already, so certain characters were known to me also.

 

ATB from George

Yeah I meant the bits that were supposed to be in the Soviet Union were shot in Finland.

Posted on: 13 October 2014 by Kevin-W

No it's not great, but it is very good. Well-paced, well-written and well-acted (Brian Dennehy especially) by a very appealing cast. For a journeyman director, Michael Apted is one of the very best in the business, and he keeps the action and tension rattling along very nicely. The cinematography, by Ralf Bode, is also very good.

 

I spent some time in the USSR back in the 1980s and I found the film's depiction of life there pretty realistic; although the (normally excellent) William Hurt's accent is rather unconvincing.

Posted on: 16 December 2014 by Markwinstanley

Movie was great but i don't like the ending. They could make it different.