'KGB: The Secret War' (1985) - Dwight H. Little.
This exciting cold war espionage thriller by action maestro, Dwight H. Little is rarely mentioned these days, and that's a shame as it is a cracking, crisply-paced spy yarn that engagingly provides some quality entertainment that might have been better served with a bigger budget. Ruggedly handsome, Peter Hubbard (Michael Billington) is a 'sleeper' KGB agent, deeply embedded in the US under a false identity, covertly tasked with obtaining valuable, top secret computer micro-chips, but soon it becomes uncomfortably clear that after 7 dutiful years undercover he is now expendable, so he must attempt to extricate himself and his American girlfriend, Adele (Denise DuBarry) from the ever encroaching danger from both sides of the iron curtain, never quite knowing who he can really trust!
As the palpable threat to their lives increases, their only real hope of survival is for, Peter to defect, but extremely hard line, distinctly murderous Soviet agent, Nicolai (Walter Gotell) has other far less amenable plans for them both! Gonzo Director Dwight Little is certainly no slouch when it comes to zesty action, later going on to shoot cult B-classics 'Getting Even' and 'Rapid Fire', and he puts his nascent filmmaking talent to good use by constructing a number of especially thrilling sequences, but also showing remarkable restraint and deftness with the more heartfelt dramatic sequences; there is one emotional exchange between Adel & Peter which lent these beleaguered protagonists some additional pathos. Ostensibly a slick, hyped-up TV movie, 'KGB: The Secret War' has much to recommend it, not the least being a terrifically rousing score by gifted composer, Misha 'Ninja III: The Domination' Segal, and credibly muscular performances from Michael 'UFO' Billington and, Walter 'Puppet Master III' Gotell, not exactly a forgotten classic but a righteously entertaining Cold War thriller nonetheless.
'All the better to kill you with bright eyes!'
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