Russian_Roulette_(1975_film)
Russian Roulette (film)
1975 Canadian film
Russian Roulette is a 1975 British-Canadian thriller film directed by Lou Lombardo and starring George Segal, Cristina Raines and Denholm Elliott.
| Russian Roulette | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lou Lombardo |
| Written by | Stanley Mann (writer) Arnold Margolin (writer) Jack Trolley (screenplay) |
| Based on | Kosygin is Coming (novel) by Tom Ardies |
| Produced by | Elliott Kastner Jerry Bick |
| Starring | George Segal Cristina Raines Denholm Elliott Gordon Jackson Peter Donat Richard Romanus |
| Cinematography | Brian West |
| Edited by | Richard Marden |
| Music by | Michael J. Lewis |
Production companies | Bulldog ITC Films |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distribution (United Kingdom) Avco Embassy (United States) |
Release dates | 20 August 1975 (US) 2 May 1976 (UK) |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Countries | Canada United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Shaver (George Segal), a disgraced former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, receives an offer to keep an eye on a Latvian dissident during an upcoming visit to Vancouver by a renegade Soviet Premier in exchange for eventually being reinstated to the force. However, upon accepting the assignment, he finds himself engulfed in a KGB conspiracy to kill the premier during his visit and must clear his own name.
- George Segal as Corporal Timothy Shaver
- Cristina Raines as Bogna Kirchoff
- Bo Brundin as Colonel Sergi Vostick
- Denholm Elliott as Commander Petapiece
- Gordon Jackson as Hardison
- Peter Donat as Inspector Peter McDermott
- Richard Romanus as Raymond Ragulin
- Nigel Stock as Ferguson
- Val Avery as Rudolph Henke
- Louise Fletcher as Midge
- Graham Jarvis as Bension, RCMP
- Constantine Gregory as Samuel
- Doug McGrath as Lars
- Jacques Sandulescu as Gorki, KGB Goon
- Wally Marsh as Taggart
- Hagan Beggs as Kavinsky
The film was the directorial debut for Lombardo, who is noted primarily as a film editor. It was adapted from Tom Ardies' novel Kosygin Is Coming. It was filmed primarily in Vancouver, where the story also took place.
After being released theatrically in 1975, the film was released to home video on VHS in 1986, and on DVD by Shout! Factory in October 2013 as part of a double feature with Love and Bullets, a Charles Bronson thriller originally released in 1979.[1]
- Hodgson, Mark A. (23 June 2009). "Russian Roulette (1975) - not on DVD". Black Hole Reviews. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
Director Lou Lombardo indulges the cast to throw in improvised dialogue to add to the realistic feel. The best example is a scene where Segal tries to get an old lady to remember a really important message. The worst is his throwaway line to a traumatised Raines in the middle of a car chase, "How do you feel, killing a man?" Sometimes his comedy touch makes the film a little lighter than the subject deserves.
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