This film begins with three young adults skating on a frozen lake in Moscow. Not long afterward their bodies are found and to the horror of the investigating militsiya agent, "Arkady Renko" (William Hurt) their faces and fingerprints have been surgically removed. In addition to that, two of them were shot in the mouth rendering dental recognition almost impossible as well. Even more perplexing to him is the fact that the KGB insists on not taking over the investigation even when it appears that one of the victims is an American. To underscore his concerns his immediate supervisor, "Chief Prosecutor Iamskoy" (Ian Bannen) also voices his suspicions of KGB involvement in these murders and advises him to be extremely cautious. What he doesn't realize, however, is just how far up the corruption extends to not only his own department but within the KGB as well. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty interesting film due in large part to the way the director (Michael Apted) captured the cold Russian winter environment of Moscow so well. I also liked the performances of both William Hurt and Joanna Pacula (as "Irina Asanova"). That being said, I found this movie to be quite entertaining and I recommend it to viewers interested in a film of this sort.
