The stage curtains open ...
So ... I know right away that a lot of people may read this one and say, "What the heck? Only 6 stars?" If I had reviewed this one back in the day when it was new, fresh and exciting, I probably would have rated it a lot higher. But, after watching this one 34 years later, it just didn't resonate with me.
When a commercial airplane is forced to make an emergency landing inside Russia, a famous dancer (Mikhail Baryshnikov) who had defected is taken into custody and forced to once more live the life of a Soviet. He is aided by an American deserter (Gregory Hines), a tap dancer who is doing his best to get by with his loving and faithful wife. While they plan their escape, they put everything on the line and risk their very lives for an uncertain future.
So first, the dance scenes and choreography was simply amazing in this film. Both Baryshnikov and Hines were masters of their craft and the chemistry between them here was surprisingly very good. For me though, the in-between moments really fall flat. The story is rather overdone and generic. And, as a whole, this movie hasn't held up well at all over the years. This is the type of movie that might pop on late night on some obscure cable channel and you might watch it and enjoy the dancing. The music is very dated as well.
This one isn't bad, it just doesn't deliver the punch it once used to anymore. Except for Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini, the acting is pretty dry. I can't really recommend it, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it either. If you've never seen it, you might appreciate it, but I think it would probably go on the "view once only" list. 6 stars out of 10.
So ... I know right away that a lot of people may read this one and say, "What the heck? Only 6 stars?" If I had reviewed this one back in the day when it was new, fresh and exciting, I probably would have rated it a lot higher. But, after watching this one 34 years later, it just didn't resonate with me.
When a commercial airplane is forced to make an emergency landing inside Russia, a famous dancer (Mikhail Baryshnikov) who had defected is taken into custody and forced to once more live the life of a Soviet. He is aided by an American deserter (Gregory Hines), a tap dancer who is doing his best to get by with his loving and faithful wife. While they plan their escape, they put everything on the line and risk their very lives for an uncertain future.
So first, the dance scenes and choreography was simply amazing in this film. Both Baryshnikov and Hines were masters of their craft and the chemistry between them here was surprisingly very good. For me though, the in-between moments really fall flat. The story is rather overdone and generic. And, as a whole, this movie hasn't held up well at all over the years. This is the type of movie that might pop on late night on some obscure cable channel and you might watch it and enjoy the dancing. The music is very dated as well.
This one isn't bad, it just doesn't deliver the punch it once used to anymore. Except for Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini, the acting is pretty dry. I can't really recommend it, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it either. If you've never seen it, you might appreciate it, but I think it would probably go on the "view once only" list. 6 stars out of 10.