The Peacemaker, 1997

The Peacemaker, 1997
Director: Mimi Leder
Cast: Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Marcel Iures



The Peacemaker in short:Two trains crash somewhere in Russia, one carrying a nuclear payload. A nuclear explosion follows the crash and the world is on alert... However, White House nuclear expert Dr. Julia Kelly doesn't think it was an accident... Special Operations Intelligence Officer Colonel Thomas Devoe doesn't think so either... Together they must unravel a conspiracy that goes from Europe to New York, to stop a terrorist who has no demands..


Stage: Home theatre, Sunday night selection on TV


Preps: Hm, I think I saw this one at the movies and I didn't like it. But memory is a sad story, so let's see if I am right.


Reality: Hm.. I am right. Only the scenery won't do. The war in ex Yugoslavia, Russian disputes, eastern Countries disputes.. is a sad story and has been depicted in many movies. This one is an american attempt of making it more yummy than it is. In other words, it collides many stories, however only one, and that is the pain of the nation, is relevant. No other stories should take place in this one. The quarrel between the nations and the big price they were paying for years has no place for romance, some chase on the US streets. There can be no good collision of US scenes and scenes that depict Russian wars, eastern nations wars, Ex Yugoslavia war. I mean, you cannot film a movie for most of the time in muslim mosque or on streets of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or on a russian railroad and then just switch to the US land. It's not probable, it shouldn't be done.
Clooney and Kidman have the saint role in the movie, however as much as US tries, they cannot be perceived as Peacemakers. It is known that they were perceived as Smurfs, because of the helmets. There were many really sad and true pieces filmed about the wars on these regions and the casualties, victims and sadness, depression, the war created. This is definitely not one of them. We are not on this place to celebrate the fact that US sticks their nose wherever they find it interesting (I am not speaking about appropriate). It is (was) not their war as I am sure that they are doing their chores on many places in the same exact way.
Movies like these make people think that US soldiers, Peacemakers, nurses, etc, play a huge role in nation's desputes around the world. Guess what, they usually make it worse, not better. Despite the fact that this movie is trying to persuade you differently, be sure you are watching a fairy tale. With some smart inserts of Višnjevič and some russian, serbian jargon.


My personal rate: 5,0 (I wouldn't recommend it. It is better to watch movies that local people/directors made on the topic. More realistic, better equipped with real information).



The Peacemaker on IMDB

Deep Impact, 1998

Deep Impact, 1998
Director: Mimi Leder
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood


Stage: Home theatre, late TV selection

Deep Impact in short: A teenage astronomer and his teacher discover an object amongst the stars at night. Little do they know that it's a comet on a direct collision course for earth. After the teacher dies in a car crash trying to report his findings the President announces the comet's existence. He also states that there is no need to panic, because NASA is going to send astronauts on the space mission, Messiah. Their mission is to destroy the comet before it gets too close to the earth. When Messiah backfires, the President announces that special caves will have to be built, and the government will have to have a lottery-of-fate to randomly select 800,000 ordinary American citizens to go along with 200,000 scientists, soldiers, and other officials. These 1,000,000 people will be set aside to save the population from extinction when the comet hits.

Preps: Hm, isn't this one of the "The earth will be destroyed unless" clones? I am not sure.


Reality: Yep, I am right. I remember now, when the plot comes thru the first scenes. I have seen this one before. It's a special genre, if it would exist for real, several very notorious movies would fit into this. Because they all describe the same thing, fear of all fears. This time not in shape of alien, but in shape of a comet (meteor), usually found by one weird scientist, then making all the world upside down. The first and maybe the one with most lovely actors, in this sense, would be Armageddon, surprisingly enough made in the same year. Who copied from who, remains the question. Because Deep Impact is virtually very similar to Armageddon or vice versa. But doesn't have the famous cast as the Armageddon has. Nevertheless, Deep Impact in comparison, holds a few plus points - for instance: the stories before the comet appears and the parallel stories about relationships, that go very deep (in comparison with Willis's ship). Surprise from viewer's perspective, and refreshing, anyway. In some deep imagination I would guess that most of the viewers just are anxious to see the impact or the rescue mission itself and the vaporization. They don't really care what the relationships between people in this story are. Just the mere wolfy observation of the impact would be enough. And can drive powerful enough.
In this case, you are dragged into various relationships and traumas the people going on the mission (or reporting about it) are having from the past. And the way some of it is resolved up to a point. Tea Leoni seems to have the last quote here, but I would rather not spend any money on trying to make journalist profession not a voulter one. It is such and any time spent on persuasing audience it isn't so, is a long gone investment. Beside the point, we are talking about extinction and therefore it doesn't fit into yellow journalism anyway. Why bring up the honour and pride (or commitment to the public must know dogma)?

In any case, case closed at the end of the day, humankind solved, heroes (again US and Russian - how predictable :( No extra adventure or fun here.


My personal rating: 4,0 (some entertainment and a good start. Also like the side part of the movie, when you wipe the impact out :)

Deep Impact on IMDB

The Code, 2009

The Code, 2009
Director: Mimi Leder
Cast: Rade Serbedzija, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas


The Code in short: A veteran thief recruits a younger crook to help him pull off one final job in order to repay his debt to the Russian mob.


Stage:home theatre
Preps: again one of those, standing in line, striving to get the attention. I see Morgan Freeman in lead cast and I am satisfied, I simply adore the man. I wonder what the latest achievement is, so the curiosity drives my attention.



Reality: Hm, first a surprise. I have it (the movie) under Thick as Thieves. WTF is the Code? And why? Is this even the same movie? Curiosity drives me to go ahead with the piece. It resembles the best of Mission Impossible, some russian spy movies and some great theft movies. Hence the title, Thick as Thieves. Banderas as a thief that you can lick your fingers upon - based on his expertise, and Freeman, as one of the most haunted criminals (thieves) ever.. joining forces to steal something impossible to steal.

The movie is filled with witty dialogues, amazing impossible scenes, some unreal and others to admire, what some people are capable of ( I mean those in real business ;)
The power of money is exposed, passing the limits one would go over just to get more of it in his wallet. And on the other hand, some philosophical dilemmas. Are you supposed to have a spouse, if you are a shooting target? Is a modern Robin Hood more or less the villain the genuine Robin Hood was? Last, but not least - how come all the "impossible to break in" - vaults have a movie way to get into them.. a lot of material to think about and the movie is already over. Good Sunday entertainment, but nothing really beyond this.



One of the best quotes:
Keith Ripley: Some people were born to compose music. Others to split the atom. I was born to steal shit.


My personal rating: 7,0 (a pretty decent piece, and good to see Morgan Freeman and Banderas again, in not such bad roles - maybe they could think a bit more about their mutual energy before going into some scenes - because the cast in some of them is truly awful.)


The Code on IMDB