ejsawyer

Yes, it's dumb, and campy, but if you're in the mood for brainless entertainment, this might fit the bill. It's an example of the schlock-action-boobs niche that actresses like Sybil Danning and Shannon Tweed were well known for in the 80's.

The basic plot is an adventure that riffs heavily on the Indiana Jones motif, but it serves mainly to get the women to take their clothes off. Considering that the director was previously involved in "mainstream" porn like "Emmanuelle" (1974), "The Story of O" (1975), and "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (1981), this really shouldn't come as a surprise. This also helps explain the casting choices, as the female roles are filled with actresses who are lovely to see, but otherwise awful at acting.

The single best part of this film is a sexy young Tawny Kitaen, prior to her days as the resident "babe" in Whitesnake music videos.

Harsh, yes, but I call 'em like I see 'em.

I saw this in the late 80's, and it was truly one of the most awful, boring films I've ever forced myself to watch.

Yes, the cinematography is lovely. The Czech settings are truly stunning. The political backdrop is enticing, but unlike similar "historically set" stories (e.g. _Dr. Zhivago_ (qv)), this one failed to make the politics relevant to the story, or even interesting.

Sure, Olin and Binoche are beautiful. But this film manages to make even "erotic" scenes plodding and slow. I'm all for romance, but this movie was so boring, I started hoping the Russians would shoot them all and put an end to my misery.

I'm sure if I'd read the book, the story would have made a bit more sense. However, life's too short to expend any more time on this one.

I remember watching this years ago. It was one of several comedies Michael Keaton made in the 80's, but you can see him beginning to stretch a bit beyond his cornball comedy roles (e.g. Night Shift, Mr. Mom, Gung Ho, Johnny Dangerously). You can just see a hint of the dramatic (and dark) flair he would reveal a few years later in Beetle Juice and Batman.

The movie itself is pretty contrived, although it has a great supporting cast. It was fun to see Meat Loaf (whose character is always sweaty, and carries around a battery-operated fan to keep cool) and John Davidson (who essentially plays...himself!).