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List Price: $6.99 | | Label: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
Salesrank: 11141
Released: September 6, 2005 |
| Our Price: $4.57 |
| Used Price: $3.94 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Best-selling phenomenon Frederick Forsyth has set the thriller standard.
Russia is on the brink of anarchy, and its current president stands powerless against the growing famine and inflation, the escalating crime and corruption, and the teeming hordes of unemployed rebels roaming the streets. Radical right-wing party leader Igor Komarov (Patrick Bergin) welcomes the chaos. He looks forward to the new election, having gained the respect of the restless masses by promising law, order, prosperity, and to restore the lost greatness of their homeland. Who is this icon of peace who assures a Russia reborn? One man who knows is Jason Monk (Patrick Swayze), ex-CIA and "the best damn agent-runner" in the business. He's seen Komarov's confidential "Black Manifesto," which calls for a return to dictatorship, military expansionism, and genocidal ethnic cleansing.
Now Monk's determined to blow the lid off Komarov's secret new order, and he's on a personal vendetta as well--to find Anatoli Grishin (Ben Cross), the sadistic KGB officer who once tortured and murdered four of his agents and is now Komarov's head of security. Monk's mission is to stop Komarov, whatever it takes, and finally settle the score with Grishin. But to accomplish it, he must remain alive. The forces allied against him are ruthless--and time is running frighteningly short.
Based on the thrilling novel the New York Times calls "vintage Forsyth," this gripping thriller poses a scenario as frighteningly plausible as tomorrow's headlines.
Icon Reviews:
Patrick Swayze What A Fine Actor 
2009-12-27 - Patrick Swayze does an outstanding job in this movie. He was such a good actor and did a fine job in whatever kind of movie he was in. I certainly did enjoy him in this film. He will be missed by a lot of people.
Love Swayze 
2009-12-07 - This was great untill half way through when the plogt and the writting went south but loved Sswayze
Disappointed 
2009-12-03 - This probably isn't a bad movie. Full of physical action etc but I'm biased; I read the book. And the movie is nothing like it. I can understand that Frederick Forsyth's original story might have been too tough to transfer to the big screen but the movie lacks the Forsythian complexity and intrigue of the book. Compared with the book the movie plot is insipid. I'm surprised that Forsyth had anything to do with it (he was a story consultant or somesuch). But if you haven't read the book then you might find the movie enoyable. If you have read the book don't bother.
Decent, but nothing like the book
2009-11-23 - I'm a big fan of Forsyth's book, Icon. I bought this movie on a whim, because I enjoy the book so much and was anxious to see how the movie came out. Well the movie has basically nothing in common with the book except a few characters - Monk (Swayze), Sir Nigel, Komarov, and Anatoli Griffin, despite the fact that the movie claims to be based on the novel. The original plot is completely changed. There is still a "black manifesto," but everything with the Chechens, the Catholic Priest, the press, and all the subplots about spies are gone. Instead the movie is centered around a story about a virus, which was completely nonexistant in the book. And they threw in a new subplot about Monk's daughter, who I don't believe existed in the book.
The movie is decent enough. The action is good, dialogue is OK, and the plot is fair enough, provided you either never read the book, or disliked the book. It's a typical Tom Clancyish domestic terrorism story about them crazy Ruskys and a quest for ethnic cleansing and world domination. There are several good chase scenes, on foot, and involving cars and motorcycles. At least a few dozen people die on camera during the course of the movie, and there's plenty of action and suspense.
One thing that was very strange to me -- the movie cuts out in a rather random spot in the middle, says "To Be Continued....," and then rolls ending credits. A few moments later they roll beginning credits, and it starts up approximately where it left off. I'm not sure if they originally intended to release this as 2 separate movies, but in my copy it's one disk. At first I thought the movie was over, and was looking around for another DVD in the case, but then I realized that the movie continued after these ending credits. This kind of screws up your viewing experience if catches you off guard, and at the very least you'll be confused and irritated. For the single DVD version of the movie they really ought to cut that out and roll all the ending credits at... the end.
Anyway, This is better than most of the Swayze movies I've seen. But it's got very little in common with the book. Worth the money if you like action flicks, but don't buy it if you're looking for a movie that resembles the book.
Swayze was great, but don't overlook others....
2009-11-04 - Patrick Swayze was great and will always be missed but his supporting cast here is great as well...Get this one...Keep an eye on Ben Cross as well...You don't know what to think of him until later on anyway, but he's great as usual!
