GORKY PARK. Directed by Michael Apted; written by Dennis Potter; produced by Howard W. Koch Jr. for Orion. Starring William Hurt, Joanna Pacula and Lee Marvin.Rated R (violence, minimal nudity and language).
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How could somebody shoot three people in a busy park in broad daylight, and escape detection? Why were the bodies mutilated to prevent identification? Why are the Feds so interested in what would seem like a local police matter?
These sound like good, solid whodunnit questions, but Gorky Park gives the type a fascinating twist. The park of the title (where bodies are found) is in beautiful downtown Moscow. And the "Feds" are the KGB. The result is an exciting thriller that combines some of the best ingredients of murder mysteries and spy stories.
Renko (Hurt) is a homicide detective described by his boss as the "best in Moscow." Although the course of his investigation is similar to that in an "American" cop movie, there is always this difference. Corruption, fear and lies are everywhere in Russian society. Renko has learned to cope pretty well. He routinely "fixes" the phones to avoid bugs. But getting a witness (Pacula) to trust him as a simple policeman trying to solve a murder is difficult. What if he is really KGB, trying to ferret out traitors? The best thing about Gorky Park is this constant inter-play between our expectations of such a story, and the subtle tricks the setting plays on us.
Not everything in the movie works quite this well. The ending is over-romanticized, for one thing. Another problem is Hurt's accent. All the Russians speak with British accents. And Hurt's just doesn't quite work. He is a talented actor and his "presence" in Gorky Park is impressive. But his voice bothers me.
The good story and the fascinating setting cancel out these faults most of the time. The plot is nice and complicated, but not overly convoluted. And the setting is as important as any character. If you're suggestible about such things, take an extra sweater to Gorky Park. It's winter in Russia, after all, and the cinematography makes you feel it in your bones. The oppressiveness of Soviet life comes through as well, but also some of its gaiety and charm.
Taking into account my reservations, I can still recommend Gorky Park. An additional warning about the violence is in order, however. There are some pretty gruesome scenes, but there is no gratuitous violence. And what's gristly is really the effects of violence rather than the action itself. Except for its few flaws, Gorky Park is a witty and exciting variation on that old standard: the cops and robbers movie.
January 11, 1984