George Segal plays Shaver, an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, currently on suspension for belting a superior. He then finds himself recruited by the "Special Branch" to get his hands on Henke (Val Avery), a troublemaker whom it's believed will be out to get the Soviet premier Kosygin. Well, Shaver finds out that there's a more sinister conspiracy afoot, and he must rely on his own wits to survive and prevent the assassination from happening.
Segal gives a solid Everyman-type heroic performance here, much as he did later in "Rollercoaster". The movie itself takes a while to really grab a hold of its viewers, but becomes quite watchable in its rousing final reel. This action sequence was actually handled by Anthony Squire, as director Lou Lombardo (usually an editor who'd cut films for Peckinpah and Altman), was often high on drugs throughout the filming. That the movie actually turns out alright is a testament to a capable cast and crew, and a reasonably engrossing story, which is based on a novel by Tom Ardies.
It's nice to see a movie shot in Canada that's *supposed* to be set in Canada, and the use of the British Columbia locations is impressive. The music by Michael J. Lewis is also noteworthy. Segal is backed up by an ace group of actors, including Cristina Raines as his girlfriend, Bo Brundin as a KGB psycho, Denholm Elliott as the Special Branch agent Petapiece, Gordon Jackson as Hardison, Peter Donat as McDermott, Richard Romanus as Detroit hit-man Ragulia, Nigel Stock as Ferguson, Graham Jarvis as Benson, Louise Fletcher as Midge, and Doug McGrath as Lars.
While not overly slick or distinguished, "Russian Roulette" is still a pretty good thriller, and fans of the intrigue & action genres should dig it.
Seven out of 10.
Segal gives a solid Everyman-type heroic performance here, much as he did later in "Rollercoaster". The movie itself takes a while to really grab a hold of its viewers, but becomes quite watchable in its rousing final reel. This action sequence was actually handled by Anthony Squire, as director Lou Lombardo (usually an editor who'd cut films for Peckinpah and Altman), was often high on drugs throughout the filming. That the movie actually turns out alright is a testament to a capable cast and crew, and a reasonably engrossing story, which is based on a novel by Tom Ardies.
It's nice to see a movie shot in Canada that's *supposed* to be set in Canada, and the use of the British Columbia locations is impressive. The music by Michael J. Lewis is also noteworthy. Segal is backed up by an ace group of actors, including Cristina Raines as his girlfriend, Bo Brundin as a KGB psycho, Denholm Elliott as the Special Branch agent Petapiece, Gordon Jackson as Hardison, Peter Donat as McDermott, Richard Romanus as Detroit hit-man Ragulia, Nigel Stock as Ferguson, Graham Jarvis as Benson, Louise Fletcher as Midge, and Doug McGrath as Lars.
While not overly slick or distinguished, "Russian Roulette" is still a pretty good thriller, and fans of the intrigue & action genres should dig it.
Seven out of 10.