CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
Keeley Coleman
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
blondJasper
After 30 years, this movie is obviously dated, but no more so than the much more numerous anti-Nazi propaganda films that are still seen today almost 70 years after Hitler's regime was wiped off the face of the Earth. When Gulag was made and first shown, there were, beyond any doubt, many thousands of prisoners in the USSR, large numbers of whom were arrested and imprisoned for their political or ideological opinions. Of course this was (and still is) the case in many other countries around the world, but when this movie was released, the USSR and its East European satellite states were the enemies of the USA and its allies, and however many clichés and inaccuracies the film contains, it was an entertaining and long-overdue look at one of the most unpleasant regimes of the 20th century, and a warning to all of us on both sides of the former Iron Curtain that we must ensure that Soviet Communism stays in the garbage can of history where it belongs.
peter-818-598108
Enjoyable made-for-TV-movie, loosely based on Alexander Dolgun's autobiography "Dolgun", in which he describes how he ended up in Soviet Gulag, and how he survived. Once you have read this book, the movie makes sense. Of course, the movie makes several detractments from the book, but it's not a movie that cites that it is based on that book, but it is a looses rendition of the story in the book, to an extent.As a Norwegian living in Oslo, it's great fun to see the settings for the various "Moscow" scenes: About 10' out in the movie, they're walking thru the Vigeland Sculpture park in Oslo. Next they're walking down Karl Johan Street, the National Theatre visible in the background. A visit to Oslo's City Hall is also part of the "Moscow" scenes, the "russian" guide pointing out the murals by Henrik Sørensen (from 1950). Later, the main character is walking thru the Botanical Gardens, only to be captured just outside in an everyday Oslo street (two schools visible in the background, Vahl & Hersleb). He is then taken to Lubjanka Prisonm to be interrogated. In this case, the old Main Post Office in Oslo. A tram, dirtied down & with Cyrillic characters on it's destination blind, passes by. A famous (in Norway) Norwegian actor, Bjørn Sundquist, has a small role as one of the Russian captors. At about 28 minutes out, he is taken to the train to transport him to the prison camp. The station is the old Oslo Østbane station (Still standing, but converted to shopping mall). The train is composed of typical Norwegian railway cars of the era (early 80's/late 70's.), but the car they're in is converted to a Stolypin car (of sorts). The train is pulled by a class Di.3 diesel engine. At about 0.32 the train arrives in Trondheim.Not a very high budget movie, but fun in in its own dated way, and with Malcolm Mc Dowell as The Englishman being, well, English. Worth watching, add some beers and some popcorn.
mrskywalker
Those who say that this film is a cliche are not facing reality. I remember when some people were calling terrorists a silly cliche until 2 flew into the trade towers. Tyrants do and have always existed which may be a bit much for some sheltered mall crazy Americans to accept.In fact there has been much about Soviet activities that has remained not really revealed and most films about it have vanished. Even Second World War involvement by the Soviets both positive and negative is rarely mentioned. This film shows an interesting view of the rarely mentioned soviet system of prisons called Gulags in which millions had vanished with almost no photos or films of.
Nardia
Honestly, do Americans know how much we rubbish their blind devotion to the Good Ol' U. S. of A.? Highly strung anti-Soviet drama with Malcolm McDowell once again showing us how nasty the Brits can be. The scrumptious David Keith is starry-eyed but tasty as ever...he's the only reason I watched it anyway!