“The Package” (1989) starring Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, Tommy Lee Jones. Dir. Andrew Davis.
Effective thriller about how the international deep state wants to keep Cold War tensions alive – a kind of John le Carré theme. Tommy Lee Jones (aka “The Package”) co-stars as the assassin who will do anything for the right price – though he does feel a sort of gratitude to Gene Hackman’s character, with fatal consequences. The Gorbachev stand-in looks reasonably close to the real thing, which can hardly be said of the Bush 41 character. For some reason, Gorby is repeatedly called “General Secretary of the Soviet Union,” a title which conflates a state and a party office and which never existed; my guess is the filmmakers wanted to avoid associating this positive figure with the Communist Party.
Excellent location work. Particularly liked the scenes set in outskirts of Berlin – not just the usual locations, like the Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. Also liked the wintery Chicago locales. Weak point: There is no way Dennis Franz’s character could recover from a serious gunshot wound so quickly that he is running around town with his arm in a sling rescuing people – this stretches credulity a bit too far. BTW, Diane Timmerman is credited as the “Female Packpacker.” When the movie first came out (1989), she was listed as “Wholesome Terrorist.” Gene Hackman personally encouraged her to continue her acting career, but she decided to take her life in a different direction.
© Hamilton Beck
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