Between viewings, I forget how much I like the film version of Gorky Park. I say how much I like the film, not how good it is. Tough to judge it because I hold the Martin Cruz Smith novels and his Renko character in high regard. The books represent a well researched perspective, dark and fetid, on recent Russian history. My high school Russian history teacher, Walt Lacek, would have loved them. If William Hurt and Joanna Pacula play the characters of Renko and Irina a bit soft, they are full blooded and even haunting. It's a shame that Hurt didn't get to reprise the role. The second Renko book, Polar Star, is very cinematic, brooding, and scary. And his Chernobyl book, Wolves Eat Dogs, depicts the apocalypse in a minor key.
