Themes: Behind the Iron Curtain, Murder Investigations, Fighting the System
Main Cast: William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy, Ian Bannen, Joanna Pacula
Release Year: 1983
Country: US
Run Time: 128 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In the dead of a Moscow winter, three bodies are found in Gorky Park. Police Inspector Renko (William Hurt) is unable to identify the corpses, since even their fingerprints have removed. For reasons unknown to him, Renko's investigation is somehow being stymied by his higher-ups. Ferreting out information on his own, Renko makes the acquaintance of Soviet dissident Irina (Joanna Pacula), a friend of one of the victims, and Lee Marvin as Armand Hammer-style American businessman. As in Martin Cruz Smith's novel, the identity of the killer is not as well hidden as the reasons behind the killing. "Glasnost" had not yet taken effect in 1983, thus Gorky Park was filmed in Finland rather than Russia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Michael Elphick - Pasha; Richard Griffiths - Anton; Rikki Fulton - Pribluda; Alexander Knox - General; Alexei Sayle - Golodkin; Ian McDiarmid - Prof. Andreev; Anatoly Davydov - KGB Agent Nicky; Patrick Field - Fet; Niall O'Brien - KGB Agent Rurik; Tusse Silberg - Natasha; Henry Woolf - Levin; Lauri Torhonen - Director
Credit
Richard Bruno - Costume Designer, Dan Kolsrud - First Assistant Director, Michael Apted - Director, Dennis Virkler - Editor, Bob Larson - Executive Producer, James Horner - Composer (Music Score), Simon Kaye - Musical Direction/Supervision, Paul Sylbert - Production Designer, Ralf Bode - Cinematographer, Gene Kirkwood - Producer, Howard W. Koch - Producer, Simon Kaye - Sound/Sound Designer, Dennis Potter - Screenwriter, Howard Brandy - Publicist, Martin Cruz Smith - Book Author
The film tells the story of Soviet police officer Arkady Renko and his investigation of Jack Osborne, a ruthless American fur importer with close ties to the KGB. Three bodies have been found with their faces sliced off in Gorky Park. One is an American, the other two are Russians. Renko is keen to rid himself of the case, as he suspects the KGB to be responsible. However, after some reassurances from the prosecutor Yamskoy, he begins to investigate and eventually finds himself at the point of no return when he begins to become emotionally involved with a woman (Irina) who has connections with those found in Gorky Park. Pacula's performance as Irina Asanova in Gorky Park is ranked #57 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). [1]
