3 Good 3 Bad: Hollywood Movie Thrillers Set in Russia

Despite whatever geo-political and ideological differences that pit the governments of the United States and Russia against each other, there’s no getting around the fact that the people of both countries would rather just play nice and make cool movies. As such, there’s a whole genre of American movies set in Russia that have tried to capitalize on that very relationship, some playing with Cold War themes and others just telling a suspenseful story. To that end, some movies make it work and well, some others not so much. While this is hardly a complete list, here’s 3 good and 3 bad movie thrillers set (at least partially) in Russia. начать! 

GoldenEye

The return of James Bond in 1995 after a long six year break in the series marked a shift in the franchise with Pierce Brosnan donning the tuxedo to high praise in this action/adventure set primarily in the former Soviet Union and then Russia. The story is a bit complex and decidedly Bond-silly in its scope, but basically, there are those scheming to cause great havoc on the world stage, leading Bond to to do what he does best, sleep with a bevy of beautiful women and single-handedly save the world. A scene with Bond driving a tank through St. Petersburg is a easily one of the best moments in the Bond canon. Tough and gritty, this entry remains one of the more popular films in the series and kicked off a seven-year, four-film run as the British secret agent. Not all were quite on the same level, but they lived in this movie’s deep shadow.

Hitman

Based on the beloved video game series of the same name, this Hollywood adaptation is not really what fans expected, the character of Agent 47 (played here by Timothy Olyphant) just not translating well to the big screen. The story centers on the titular hitman, a member of group of highly-trained guns-for-hire, sent to Russia to kill the president, completing his mission but told there is a witness, a beautiful young woman named Nika (Olga Kurylenko). However, not all is at is seems and soon Agent 47 is himself marked for death. Lacking momentum and any real sense of urgency, the movie is at least a fairly good attempt to bring the game to life but comes up short. It has its fans of course but most found this, one to skip. Play the game instead.

The Russia House

Admittedly, there will be a few of you out there that will claim this deserves to be on the ‘bad’ side of this list, but for our money, this sticky thriller is an unconventional win. Starring Sean Connery as Bartholomew “Barley” Scott-Blair, a British publisher who travels to Moscow, he soon becomes involved with the beautiful Katya Orlova (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is in possession of a book with a devastating secret. What follows is a conversation-heavy thriller that spirals the pair into a series of dangers as who to trust and where to hide becomes almost impossible to sort out. While it’s slow and purposefully paced story might sideline some viewers, for most, this will be a smart and compelling watch with some great on-location shots of Moscow and more. Plus, Pfeiffer is really good.

Rocky IV

Okay, so it’s not like we don’t ‘like‘ this movie, it being part of a long-running and iconic franchise. But it’s really the weakest of the Rocky movies, it’s bombastic all-American gung-ho attitude a bit ridiculous, even if both Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren are great fun to watch. It follows the failing boxer in the aftermath of a tragedy that left his best friend killed in the ring and Rocky now on a quest not only for revenge but to reinstate the global power of the United States, at least in appearance. Over-the-top and cartoonish to a degree, Stallone pumps himself up into a comic book proportions and goes full tilt in propagandizing the spirit of American chutzpah. You’re humming the theme song, aren’t you?

Gorky Park

Of all the titles on this list, this is probably the one you’re not sure you’ve ever heard of, the film a 1983 release that did well but disappeared quickly. Starring an excellent William Hurt as a Soviet military detective named Arkady Renko, he is put in charge of a gruesome murder scene in the titular Moscow-centered Gorky Park. Seems three young people have been killed, their faces skinned clean off and a host of clues leading only to more disturbing questions. He’s soon involved with the lovely Irina Asanova (Joanna Pacuła), who may have more answers but doesn’t trust him, though he’s got an American animal importer (Lee Marvin) and a New York cop (Brian Dennehy) mucking up the works as well. Tense and supremely well acted, this Michael Apted-directed film reveals much about life behind the Red Curtain in the 1980s, making it a must see. Read more about it here.

A Good Day To Die Hard

The Die Hard series is a frustrating blend of good and bad, with this entry from 2013 being widely regarded as the worst. Set in Russia, it starts with the arrest of Jack McClane (Jai Courtney) for an attempted assassination, looking to reduce his sentence with some evidence against a high-ranking official. Jack’s father is of course John (Bruce Willis), the famous New York City cop who’s made a habit of being a hero. He flies to Moscow just in time for a huge explosion designed to kill of Jack, thursting the pair into a wild ride of ridiculous stunts and endless gunplay. Not really given us much of a sense of the famous city, the movie is a mind-melting array of special effects and things that go boom. The film officially transitions the Willis character into godlike buffoonery, losing all sight of the humanity that made him so likable before. Yippee ki-blah.

BONUS: Red Heat

Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t getting enough praise for this sleeper action comedy that really does the buddy cop genre right with he and James Belushi pairing up for a fun and genuinely interesting story that starts in Russia and moves to Chicago. Schwarzenegger is a military cop named Danko, who finds himself in trouble when a sting goes sour, chasing his target to the United States after a bloody gun battle leaves his partner dead. There, Danko works with city detective Art Ridzik (Belushi), who has been tracking the suspect’s murderous rampage and soon enough, it’s West meets East on the streets of Chi-town. A perfect slice of 80s Hollywood action, this is a must for Schwarzenegger completionists.