Juego de espías

My son was watching this on HBO, and asked me to join him. If not for the fun we had making fun of the movie, it would have been an unfortunate waste of time. You have Tara Reid as a Russian (?!) named Dina, and her unlikely partner Gordon magically dodging teams of KGB and other "bad guys", both during car chases and running down the street (sans bullet-proof vests) and yet remaining completely unscathed.

Further, although their pictures have appeared on national television, and they have done nothing to alter their appearance, no one seems to take any notice of them. You would think that some Russians would stare at Tara Reid and her platinum blond hair and big blue eyes, *anyway* - regardless of whether they knew she was wanted. But then again, just which Russians would notice them? In this film, the streets of Moscow are barely populated. And also, it seems that Russians won't buy a microwave without first seeing it "in action" - as all of the microwaves on the store shelves are plugged in, ready to heat.

In general, the movie is a mess. I couldn't spoil the ending if I tried, because there's no "there" there. If somebody can actually state how the plot is resolved, please tell us!

I am awed by the caliber of this film. James Deck has made a moderately good screenplay into an outstanding political thriller.

The complexity of the film is particularly challenging. The plot begins with several different threads that interweave somewhere during the story. Director/Writer James Deck takes apart those threads and models a film based on the two protagonists, Reid and Moran. The myriad of supporting actors (including Gregg Henry ) that appear on screen subsequently all have distinct but nonetheless crucial roles to the plot.

Moran, in what is and will probably be his career best role ever, shines as the intelligent and patriotic Gordon Patrick, a thinking man's hero. Reid lends incredible presence, as usual, to her interpretation of Dina.

A lot of people have to hate a film for it to score so poorly.

I do not get why. This low budget thriller has an interesting story, except for the ambiguous ending, some decent action, a Joe Everyman hero, and (you could tell Russians made it) way more interesting than typical cinematography, camera work, and music than a typical American cheapo.

Yes, we have met all these characters before, but some care was put into the production. I felt it was better than average, worth seeing once anyway. There is a huge amount of worse crap out there, particularly in the action / thriller categories.

I spent a little time in Eastern Europe, and they definitely convey the feel of the place. Except that the amount of shooting in the biggest fight scene would have drawn enough regular cops to suppress both sides and arrest everybody for something. Until the bad guys got let out by their patrons.

The last third of the movie went downhill and was not as good as the rest.

"Silent Partner" is about CIA agent Gordon Patrick (Moran) who is sent to Russia to investigate the "Death" of Mikhail Garin, a Russian government official. Gordon is met by the American Ambassador (Henry) to help in the case. Gordon finds out that Garin's death was suspicious and finds himself in the company of Dina (Reid) who may know information.

Nick Moran does a decent job. His character is not an action hero, so he does a good job in conveying that. Tara Reid actually does a good job. Her heart is in it and her Russian accent is not bad. Gregg Henry is wasted though. He doesn't do anything. The action scenes are exciting. The car chase was cool and the gunfight was first-rate. Overall, "Silent Partner" is a fun action movie that's getting dumped on video with no fanfare. Don't pass it by.

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Oh boy. This boring piece of drudgery was made Russia, coming on the heels of a slew of cheap, lower than low budget movies shot in Eastern Europe (at least three of Steven Seagal's movies come to mind).

And I like Tara Reid. She can act, but she is seriously let down by the script and direction.

The main problem I have is the "So What?" factor. An hour into the proceedings there was still no one I could care about. And by extension, I didn't care about the movie itself.

Tara Reid is fine, but casting her as a prostitute who makes a living jacking off fat businessmen is too much typecasting for me. The 'friend' who tells her that she could do a lot better than that is another middle aged fat guy. Gordon Patrick must be the most uncharismatic average Joe, since Andy Robinson in Hellraiser.

I can see how someone could get into it, but it just isn't for me.