User Reviews

First of all, I want to say the shots of Russia, with it's beautiful fairy tale like palaces are absolutely breathtaking. It's a nice bonus. Even if you don't care for this mini-series, you'd enjoy looking at the wonderful views of Russia.

This mini-series is kind of mediocre story-wise, but the great performances of all the actors really blew me away. I think Patrick Swayze makes a great action hero star and I'd like him to make more films like this. He still got a great body, but he has aged a lot. He looks kind of lean and hungry and he is perfect in this role of the spy coming out of retirement to investigate the theft of a horrific virus from a chem lab in Russia. Patrick Bergin makes a terrific villain! His eyes were absolutely icy looking and he looked psychotic and evil. Ben Cross plays the usual cool bad guy and Jeff Fahey, surprisingly plays against type, he plays a wimpy publicist to the evil Kamarov.

This is a film where the good guys are very, very good and the bad guys are very, very evil! There are no shadings of Gray to confuse the audience. There is however, a lot of great action scenes and a great musical score to go with these action scenes! The ending is absolutely cool with the masses rising up against the tyranny of the president. As a matter of fact, it's a revolutionary's dream! This is a great "B" mini-series and the whole family can watch it because even though it is violent, it is not too graphic.

I like this a lot, the film kept me engrossed and entertained, and some times, that's all one ever wants in an action film!

I am still hanging on there for Patrick Swayze. A huge fan, always have been and always will be even if it's just hanging on to the hope that Johnny Castle will get another great role and if it's straight to video for him than so be it...I still think he's great. Icon is an absolute B movie if not because of the budget for any other reason. It must be rated with the fact that it is a "B" movie in mind. That being said Icon is a decent little flick with some definite highs and some definite lows. I am quite confident that with a different director and a different screen writer (perhaps Frederick Forsyth himself) this film could have been done very very well. If nothing else Icon is a great Russian film. I have not seen any other film that embraces modern day Russia with a great respect and treats it as good as a political thriller in the US would treat America. The story is good enough although a little confusing at times with some scenes that are unnecessary and a little complex, most notably the opening scene which I am still a little confused about.

Patrick Swayze takes the lead role as Jason Monk, an under cover operative, who is former CIA and is coaxed back into Russia with the promise of being reunited with his estranged daughter who he hasn't seen she was a little girl. It still pains me to see Swayze look so old in the face but the guy can still move, he is in great shape and plays the action role just fine. His acting is a little campy at times but it really is the writing and the film that is at best B quality. He certainly shines in the role (I thought) and I think Jason Monk is a marketable character for sequels but they have a lot to change. The supporting cast in the film is also quite notable. Joss Ackland as the reclusive Presidential candidate General Nikolayev is good in his scenes and very convincing as a Russian dignitary, Patrick Bergin is fantastic as the evil "Icon" of Russia who wants the Presidency and is behind the plot to poison different races of Russians in Hitler style. He's cold and calculating but very personable and believable. Steven Spiers is also great as Swayze's friend and partner Viktor. He's lovable and you are drawn to him but he's kind of underused in the sidekick role. Michael York, who unfortunately is best known as Austin Powers' boss Basil plays Swayze's boss and you can't help but remember him as Basil which kind of ruins his role. Jeff Fahey also does a great job as the sleazy America Political spinner who helps Komarov get elected. Annika Peterson plays the main female lead Sonija Astrov and she does a good job too, as good as Swayze does. She handles action well and her and Swayze have decent chemistry. All of them play Russian quite well and I know many complain about the cheesy accents and the fact that barely anyone actually speaks Russian when they would in reality but it's a movie that has to be done in English so to me it was just a matter of assuming they would be speaking Russian normally but in order for us to watch the movie without subtitles...it's English. The cast is absolutely not the issues with the film but rather the reason to watch it. The film style of the film immediately reminded me of another low budget series which I have really enjoyed the "Left Behind" series which coincidentally enough director Charles Martin Smith played a part in the third installment. He wasn't right for this film and I don't think he knew how to properly piece together the story. There was no need for the film to be in two parts or to be as long as it was. Much of the story could have been cut down. Sometimes the sound editing was dead awful as well. Watching characters' mouths move and be out of sync with the words was annoying at times...annoying enough for me to mention it. Or it's the fault of screenplay writer Adam Armus who has a tendency to drag out films (ie: King Solomon's Mines...also a Swayze masterpiece.)

When it's all said and done it's not so bad. It's worth watching, maybe not all at once, but a little at a time but it's put together with a very low budget. The special effects and stunts aren't bad but it seemed like the production of the film and the DVD got some poorly budgeted effects which does effect your experience. It's a shame it wasn't better handled because the ideas and possibilities are there. Just not fully realized. 6/10

I had read the Book twice before finding out that there actually is a Mini Series on this. Given Hollywood's reputation on filming Novels (Bourne identity, Sum of All fears, the Jackal) I wasn't particularly expecting exact replica.

But well its not that Bad. Face it Comapred to what they did to the other books I mentioned, this is as close as it gets. hallmark does have a reputation to stick to the Book better than rest of them. If you have not read the book then you will surely like this one. The Cast's good, the Score and the locations are good.

I didn't like it when they replaced the Manifesto with some biological Weapon Crap. I thought the Female FSB agent and the Daughter were just distracting. Nigel Irwin was turned wimpy to say the least. What I did not like at all was when the agent provocateur (sp ?) of Forsyth was turned into modern day James Bond. Patrik's not bad its the role he had to do.

I didn't like the Ending when Jason shot Igor. I'd have expected the FSB agent to do it as a foreign national shooting an elected President would have been a diplomatic Faux Pas.

All in all Not a bad Yarn especially if you have not read the book.

Fans of the novel will more than likely be disappointed. But if you are interested in seeing a decent spy thriller, I recommend this. The cast is good and its got high production values.

The cast is a good one. Patrick Swayze fits the role of Jason Monk perfectly and bares quite a resemblance to the character in the novel. Patrick Bergin and Ben Cross are excellent as the villains. But the best acted part in the film has to go to Micael York for his role of Sir Nigel Irvine. Joss Ackland also gives a good performance as the underused Russian General turned presidential candidate.

Also on the plus side,the production values are high. The action sequences are good and exciting. The locations look real and are obviously not faked and the score is one of the best i've heard recently for TV movies.

Ont he downside, the film's plot and its length are a downside. Most of the novel is scrapped and the great Black Manifesto is replaced (for the most part) by a virus. The addition of Monk's daughter and the female FSB agent are also added on to the novel's plot and are often irrelevant to the main part of the story. The plot is highly unbelievable and the duologue come in the tons in this film and winds it down several times.

SPOILER! : The biggest flaw is the ending. The novel featured Komarov's and his army launching an attack on Moscow leading to a battle that would have been great on screen Instead it is replaced by simply having Komarov chased out by protesters and being shot by monk. An anti-climactic ending if there ever was one.

Despite these flaws, Icon is still watchable and, while not faithful to the novel, is a decent spy thriller.

I watched the TV Movie, "Icon," from a self-video tape tonight (06-07-05)-- it was very good -- thought Patrick Swayze did an excellent job --with a "meatier" role for a change. I had not read the book so cannot agree or disagree to an earlier comment about it being different than the book. I do feel that Hollywood ALWAYS seems to want to change a "good thing" though -- especially when it would be just as easy to do it exactly the same way as it was written rather than to change it. My problem is that I missed the ending to the movie. I had taped it and the tape ran out just before the end, obviously -- which I did not realize until I watched it. I was at the scene where the Russian Youth stormed the Presidential Palace and the newly elected President Komarov fled and ran into Monk at the head of some steps --can ANYONE please tell me what happened after that? Thanks so much.

I actually liked the thing ! Set aside that it didn't ring true with the novel, I am well pleased to see another Forsyth adaptation. Whilst Swayze is still a bit wooden, he has that weary look of an old dog which is good for the part. And I found the casting of Joss Ackland inspired (liked him also as the Ambassador in 'The Hunt For Red October'). Bergin as a rip-off Stalin was very nice, though his fake accent sometimes made me gag. Another joy was the slick Jeff Fahey, love those old blue eyes.

Whilst it didn't follow the book, I still rate it as an enjoyable TV-movie. Nice production, a little soft, not that exciting, but still a very enjoyable watch. Don't beat it so hard.

Only one thing, Michael York as Sir Nigel Irvine ?. Since Austin Powers one can't take him seriously as head off SIS (which he in the book of Forsyth is). But he's still a fine character actor.

The whole thing made me weary for the days when Alan Howard played Sam MacReady in the movies about 'THE DECEIVER'. Wonder when they will be put on DVD (region 2 that is). If they are, please let me know.

CNOTE

I have recently become a fan of Patrick Swayze after first watching him in 'Dirty Dancing' a few weeks ago. I began researching his other roles on the IMDb database and ordering DVDs of his other efforts. I must say how aged he looks after 'Road House'. I suspect that his fondness for the bottle has much to do with this situation. Still, he seems to have pulled back from destruction from drink, which I am thankful for. He seemed in great physical condition for a man his age.

I have not read the novel 'Icon', so I had no preconceived notions about what direction the plot should take. I must admit that some of the plot scenario seemed weak. The following points stood out:

1. The rapid acceptance of Jason Monk as an ally of Sonia was incredible. His tale of being a journalist that packed heat was very weak. When events revealed his true identity to her, no mention of the blown cover story surfaced in the plot.

2. The opening sequence of the film showed his failure to extract an agent after his cover was blown. A list of CIA agents had fallen into KGB hands, yet that list apparently did not contain the cover name of Jason Monk.

3. The actual identity of deep-cover agents is a closely-held secret within the CIA. A cover name within the agency is developed and a false personal history is registered. This is to prevent attacks on the agent's family if his cover is blown. For the KGB to know Monk's true identity meant a compromise of security within the CIA of horrific degree.

4. After Monk retired the KGB apparently made no effort to track him down and extract any relevant information and exact revenge. He was living on the coast of Spain and would have been an easy target. Further, the FSB successor to the KGB apparently did not detect Monk's reentry into Russia. A massive failure of border security.

5. The motivation of the CIA official to betray Monk was never clear. He was clearly working against the interests of the US in trying to stop Monk. Further, he could have intervened earlier to stop Monk, since he was privy to Monk's reports on his activities and findings.

6. It was standard procedure of the KGB to savagely attack the family of traitors, however innocent. This was a deterrent to possible traitors. Monk's wife and child would have certainly faced a horrible fate once his cover was blown. This fact would have been well known to his wife and motivate her to defect with her husband.

7. After starting to work with Monk, Sonia was able to move about Moscow quite freely without making any attempt to disguise her appearance. This would not be so easy in reality. Her former associates in the FSB would be eager to avoid her fate of dismissal. They would be quite familiar with her appearance and be eager to gain favor by arresting her.

That said, I still liked the film. The background shots were mostly from Bulgaria, but close to the real thing in appearance. I doubt that Russia would be eager to allow a film with such a plot to be filmed on their soil. The exotic buildings and crowds were quite fascinating and helped keep the plot moving.

Annika Peterson did a good job as Sonia. She had chemistry with Patrick and was lovely to look at. She had features that could easily have been Russian, so casting did a great job.

The plot had Sonia taking a huge chance of capture to look up daughter Elena when Monk's nerve failed. That was an indication of the feelings Sonia was developing for Monk. The reconciliation between father and daughter was touching. I especially liked seeing this personal struggle of the lead character.

The character of Viktor was most appealing. You could see what a great friend he was when the risk of this relationship was enormous. Sonia and Elena soon sensed his goodness and obviously became fond of him, even if this development is never made explicit.

The deeper theme of the film is chilling. Many ambitious politicians in Russia have used the innate Russian suspicion of foreigners to further their careers. Just look at Vladimir Putin play on these fears today. He is rapidly rebuilding an antagonistic policy toward the US that is bound to lead to eventual confrontation. When the oil supplies that bankroll current Russian prosperity start to decline, look for a desperate Russia to turn aggressive to seize resources in adjacent countries. The Komarov character in the film had a KGB background and similar ambitions to Putin.

In conclusion, the film had enough eye candy and rang true enough to hold my attention, I watched the whole miniseries at one go. I expect Patrick Swayze will be back as Jason Monk in the near future.

Great cast but wasted on a B grade movie and a C grade script. One can only imagine that Fred Forsyth got his $ for the endorsement but the book and film are worlds apart. Has the usual plot holes and stupid sequences ie motorbike chases car shooting - just bash into the bike, game over, but no we go for the full 5 minutes of chase.