Moscow Heat – Enjoyable Late-Night Action Film
Director: Jeff Celentano
Writer: Alexander Nevsky, Robert Madrid (Screenplay)
Starring: Michael York, Alexander Nevsky, Richard Ryson, Robet Madrid, Andrew Divoff, Joanna Pacula
Plot: A retired diplomat and an LAPD detective seek justice, by pursuing a psychotic killer to Moscow. With the help of a Moscow police, they weave their way through labyrinth of the Russian underworld as time is running out.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Moscow Heat starts when Roger Chambers (York) son in killed in the line of duty. Roger wants answers, which will see him team up with Rudi Souza (Madrid), his son’s friend, as the pair head to Russia in search of answers.
Once in Russia Roger starts working with a Russian police officer Vlad Stepanov (Nevsky) who will help track down Nikolay Klimov (Tyson), the man who killed his son.
Thoughts on Moscow Heat
Characters & Performances – Roger Chambers is a retired diplomat who sees his son killed in action trying to take down a arms dealer. Wanting revenge, he looks at the legal options, before turning to an off the books assignment with his son’s former partner, as the pair head to Russia. Roger will find himself trying to use his connections to make answers, but not getting very far, until he finds a man he can trust, Vlad, with the two heading deep into the underground arms deals in Russia. Michael York is great in the leading role, showing the educated figure, using the history of his character to stand out in a world he isn’t prepared for. Vlad Stephanov is the local Russian police officers that is investigating an incident involving Roger, before working with him, showing his physical presence to get answers, with one of the best one liners in the film. Alexander Nevsky does everything you want a physical presence in the film, handling the action and one liners. Nikolay Klimov is the arms dealer that killed Roger’s son, he has gone underground before making his big sale and isn’t afraid to torture anyone who comes after him. Richard Tyson does work well as the villain in the film, doing everything to make us dislike his actions in the film.
Story – The story here follows a former diplomat who heads to Russia in search of the person that killed his son, teaming up with a local officer, as they diving into the criminal underworld. When you look at the story in Moscow Heat, we will follow a traditional action storyline, where one of the character is designed to be the hard hitter, while the other will have a calmer idea, which will see them placed in a position they aren’t used to. The story might not challenge much in the action world, but does everything it needs to perfectly well, making it a film you can easily enjoy watching.
Themes – Moscow Heat is an action thriller that will use the already shady relationship between America and Russia, to create the operation to search for a killer. The action is easy going, maybe not as intense as it could have been. One of the highlights in the action side of the film comes from a sword fight that comes out of nowhere, and the light moments of comedy in the clash of cultures will get a laugh or two along the way.
Final Thoughts – Moscow Heat is an enjoyable action film following the traditions of the action genre.
