Duell im Eis

This movie is so bad it hurts - like a previous comment, I read the box and thought this might be interesting cold war type film......and it's not. It's crap, there are no words to describe how bad this film is. It gave me a pain int he head trying to follow it. The guy escapes with the help of a weird local shaman and the whole thing is just disjointed rubbish, I wish I could have voted zero for this film. Definitely gets my vote as the worst film of all time, it's not even "so bad its good" - it's way beyond that, into the realms of "this is so bad you could torture people with it" And I'm putting all this mildly....... Do NOT approach this film!

I first saw this movie in 1994 and I thought it was going to be "B" rated. It turned out to be an excellent movie with a great story line. When DVD's took over, I couldn't wait for them to put this movie on DVD so I could show my family since we didn't have anymore VCR's in the house. They all enjoyed this movie too. Made us feel like we were actually on the frozen tundra. Now it's been 12 years and I've made it one of our collectibles. There's action, adventure, love, pain, and persistence in this movie. I don't think you will be disappointed if you watched it. So far everyone who's been to my house and watched or borrowed this movie walked away with a feeling of "WOW". I won't say how many times I've seen the movie but lucky for me it's on DVD now.

I made the mistake of reading the box notes on this video and got intrigued by the plot capsule: U.S. intelligence agent imprisoned in Siberia with Russian soldier as his adversary.

What the box didn't tell me was that this interesting idea would get ruined by the absolutely awful character development, a disjointed plot, and an incredibly annoying little shaman/mystic who keeps showing up throughout the movie.

I liked this film very much. I find most films sensational or boring. I prefer small well crafted films, as in a more European style. For me, it was a believable film, with characters I could actually give a damn about. Edward Albert is an underrated actor. He has one of the most expressive faces in film. And of course, it does not hurt that he is gorgeous. I think you should watch this film. No film appeals to everyone. The hands on confrontations in this film are far more real than what I've seen in most films. I'm sorry that Edward Albert was not offered more roles in films this good or better. I bought my own copy of this film.

I really loved this movie, since it took me into a world, that is so alien to the American mainstream. Siberia, before the age of the consumoriented culture, people defying the old corrupt Communist apparatchiks. Depicting ancient lifestyles long gone in the western world, but rich in culture. Uneducated and Hollywood manipulated masses will probably not see those little nuances in this truly awesome flick. I did not find the story disjointed at all, since the American prisoner was just trying to cope with his new and very alien environment. When will viewer learn, that the human psyche is a very complex adaption device.There are simply no two dimensional solutions for the American to hang on to, like Hollywood often suggests. One viewer judged this movie with unreasonable harshness, that might find sympathy in communities that like to build walls around themselves, not allowing any different cultures to enter their little two dimensional worlds. Talking about the lack of curiosity .... And why should be everything explained in detail, I love it, when I can use my imagination. This movie opened a door to me, where my imagination got to far away places. I also learned a lot about Siberia in the 80's, and I found it was a very realistic depiction of it. The movie also has evolving element of adventure, that graps you and identify's you with the American prisoner. This man is intelligent, compassionate, with a strong will to survive, whatever challenge he has to face. I also recommend the viewer, to take a look at the map of Siberia, to fully appreciate what he is up against. I voted a 10 out of 10 for this movie, and to counter the narrow view of the other viewer, would even give this movie an eleven.