A commendable film which shows that heroes can come from any country.

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2005)

I approached this film with some dread, an American production company, an American star and director, dealing with a true Russian story. I was expecting the worse.
My fears on this occasion were unfounded. This entertaining cold war story reveals that whatever country we are from, there are people who will go beyond what is expected of them, and do what is necessary to preserve human life.
Apart from Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, all the other actors in this film are unknown to me, and this works in its favour, you believe in these people, these characters, these heroes, who were willing to sacrifice their lives to try and avert a global catastrophe.
Yes Ford's Russian accent takes a bit of getting use to, but really after a few minutes you're concentrating on the drama that unfolds.
If you enjoy cold war/military/political dramas, then you should enjoy this. If, like me, you enjoyed submarine/u-boat films like Das Boot, The Hunt for Red October, In Enemy Hands and Crimson Tide, you shouldn't be disappointed.
A pleasant surprise to see a Hollywood production make an intelligent war film about another country and its people, without a hint of American flag-waving. It could explain why this film "failed" at the American box-office.