The Inside Reel

When released in the mid-90s, “The Peacemaker” with its Cold War progressions of a techno-thriller turned terrorist plot seemed perhaps a little bit too “Hunt For Red October”. However with the headline turning aspect of 9/11, the movie’s foresight becomes a bit more relevant. While highlighting George Clooney and Nicole Kidman with their still burgeoning stars at the time seems effective, it is the apparently non-Hollywood bent to the proceedings with studio level production value that comes through the most. While formulaic narrative closure dog the film in its final moments with a cat-and-mouse propensity, the set up and execution as the pair track down stolen nuclear missiles inside the Russian border is actually quite resilient, especially when Clooney’s character leads an attack force without military authorization across the point of no return while Kidman’s nuclear advisor must play the politics remotely on the ground.

The concept of these characters within the context of the time stretches credibility a bit but also shows Clooney’s penchant (even back then) for these kind of thinking man conspiracy stories. Mimi Leder as a director shows her inevitable poise and skill which makes one think that, with the rise of Kathryn Bigelow in the past year with “Hurt Locker”, when Mimi Leder will re-emerge with a new high octane film (though she has been directing episodes recently of Fox’s “Human Target”).

The BD  transfer especially involving the street scenes in New York and the operations along the Russian border play vividly as does a car chase through downtown Vienna. However what stays ultimately with the film is an underlying penchant for good storytelling that Dreamworks was inherently known for in its early days because it told unconventional stories. “The Peacemaker” inherently was ahead of its time in its subject and ability to balance the action elements with a taut thriller. It seems that audiences at the time were just not ready for it. However in retrospect, it offers an entertaining and at times chilling view of the repercussions of American influence on other nations which most of the general population might not be aware of.

The inclusion of a scene where the Muslim-fueled but extremely textured and tangible UN representative flashes back to the death of his wife and daughter while white trucks of aid workers seem to pass by without a thought give perspective to the this suicide bomber’s intent. The extras on the disc play to Clooney’s penchant even then of practical joking with a great amount of outtakes of him making people laugh on set. His physical agility shown in a special stunt section is also of note as he bounds over cars without a thought. The inclusion of the trailer shows how necessary a good teaser is because the clip here itself tells too much of the whole movie. The movie should tantalize the audience in the theater, not reveal the entire plot. “The Peacemaker”, sharp and vivid, was ahead of its time but can be enjoyed for its retrospective foresight in advance of 9/11. Out of 5, I give the BD a 3.