The Peacemaker

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA)

Reviewed by: Sid Owens and Jean Calhoun
CONTRIBUTORS
Edited by: Ken James

Moral Rating:	Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:	Adults
Genre:	Action Adventure
Length:	120 min.
Year of Release:	1997
USA Release:

Featuring	George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Arcel Iures, Alexander Baluev, Rene Medvesek, Randall Batinkof, Michael Boatman
Director	Mimi Leder
Producer
Distributor	DreamWorks Pictures, aka DreamWorks Studios, a production label of Amblin Partners

An action-packed, on-the-edge-of-your-seat from beginning to end movie techno-thriller!

In “The Peacemaker”, Russian-owned nuclear warheads en-route to disarmament in a remote area of the country are headed straight for disaster… an oncoming train loaded with passengers! As impending disaster meets its fate, a following 75 kiloton nuclear blast throws the world into high alert and sends governments into an international hunt for the parties responsible. Though appearing to be an accident, Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman), a nuclear scientist associated with the White House Nuclear Smuggling Group, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Devoe (George Clooney), a United States Army Special Forces intelligence officer, believe otherwise. International terrorism!

With a fast-paced and mostly believable storyline, this Spielberg production really gets the blood flowing for some, but falls short for others. To say anything more would do injustice by revealing the things that make this movie exciting to watch. If you like action… if you like Clooney… if you like Kidman, you’ll really like this new movie from DreamWorks!

A note of caution to parents… Several violent scenes graphically detailing human death are enough to keep this from younger viewers' eyes. And the only time God is mentioned unfortunately comes as an expletive instead of a cry to Him. His church, however, is not looked upon negatively and pre-marital, nudity, or extra-martial sex never enters the picture. “The Peacemaker” was simply just a good action-packed thriller (although there was unnecessary profanity). God’s name is taken in vain approximately four times and Jesus' name is used out of context 2 or 3 times.

“The Peacemaker” really comes through visually with excellent special effects that left stomachs throughout the theater churning on several occassions due to the reality layed out before our eyes.

Calhoun and Owens give this one 2 thumbs up!

Read the reviews and decided to take “The Peacemaker” in. I wasn’t as impressed with this one as most reviewers on this page were. The violence was unnecessarily vivid. People get shot in most action movies. The Peacemaker makes a point of letting you see what people look like AFTER they have been riddled with bullets. I guess at least that doesn’t minimize the consequences of violence. The acting and character development was okay. Some action scenes were very well done. But what no-one has seems to have mentioned is that the whole mood of this movie is quite depressing. The Peacemaker has the “war is horrible” overtones of Platoon. Worth seeing for its action and implicit warnings about how far terrorism can go—just don’t expect to come away smiling.

Todd Adams, age 30

What a disappointment! I found myself not caring what the outcome was… THE PEACEMAKER fell far short of my expectations. Kidman just didn’t cut it and wasn’t believable as the head of a government agency, and Clooney does much better as one of Chicago’s finest doctors in “E.R.” that he did as a U.S. Army Ranger Colonel. This movie is not worth the time it takes to watch it, and was predictable from beginning to end. Sorry, Spielberg.

T.C., age 24

I enjoyed this first release from DreamWorks very much, but you left the theatre thinking “it could have been so much more.” One item that I didn’t especially appreciate were the 11 “F” words that were used, mostly as an adjective to missiles, planes or the terrorists during this one tense set of scenes in the middle of the movie. I also would have liked to have seen a little bit more of a connection or perhaps just some better chemistry between Kidman and Clooney. They both performed brilliantly, but they didn’t flow together as good as they could have. My only other complaints are a few irrealistic scenes such as when the rappeling cord gets twisted around Clooney’s neck and he cuts himself free (it’s obvious his neck would have been broken in real life) and during a shootout with the bad guys, Clooney leaves the bulletproof car’s window down (this could have been an accident by the filmmakers or it could have been some display of bravado, but it doesn’t work). Bottom line, no sexual connotations, a low amount of visual violence for the “R” rating, but if you or your kids have problems with imitating profanity, then think twice. Otherwise, Peacemaker is a superb piece of work.

Aaron Klein, age 18

I saw this movie a few times… I really enjoyed seeing the quality of this movie, unfortunately there is a price to pay. Hearing My Lord’s name in vain doesn’t feel good. I think George Clooney did great in it as an actor, as for Nicole, it just didn’t work, except for a few times. The story is not old but it was told different. One thing I really enjoyed is seeing other parts of the world, which they displayed very nicely. This movie’s special effects and action is certainly up there. I think I liked this movie better than “Air Force One”. Since this movie has a time sensitive plot, there’s no time for that nudity stuff. As for you watching it, I don’t know, make your own decision. Pray. One thing for sure, this movie certainly makes you think and Praise God that he’s holding everything together.

Enrique Lombana, age 28

I just got home from the movies where I saw the new James Bond wannabe, George Clooney. I enjoyed the movie even though Clooney would not be my choice for James Bond type. Demo derbies and train crashes with unrestrained violence. What a shtick! Kidman is not your strong leading lady type. Not strong enough for the role she played. Can you imagine a tough Ranger having to contend with the whimpers of a boss when some one dies. Hardly a believable scenario but I guess in this day and age the feminists are everywhere. God certainly is left out of the picture except in the form of an incense burner in the first scene. I’m no critic but I’d give it a 6 out of 10 for interest and entertainment.

Ray Middleton, age 60

Does it push “The Peacemaker” too far to look at it in terms of James 3:17-18? Wisdom was definitely an issue of the movie. Early conclusions assessing what had happened on the Russian trains were more than woman’s intuition. (Hey, this woman even uses AOL!) But when a decision had to be made between the president’s assessment and Clooney’s assessment of the situation, Kidman had to discern between the two, and act. So Kidman’s daily exercise was swimming laps and Christians exercise daily by discerning between good and evil. Her Ph.D. thesis didn’t guarentee her success. Solving a crisis as a peacemaker relies on what one does regularly during the more bland times and routine days. And there were at least 2 motives at work here, to discern between. One theory was that peace won’t work so destroy without partiality in the name of revenge. The other was that peace takes effort and wisdom and mercy, and that peacemaking is not for the faint of heart. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”

Nancy, age 54

I was excited about seeing this film because it marked the debut of a new movie-making company. While “The Peacemaker” was entertaining, it offered nothing new. It was your typical “Die Hard”-style film. Even the choice of villains (Russians) was used this Summer in “Air Force One”. The movie was entertaining, but I had hoped that Dreamworks would come out with something original for their first movie. Clooney was good, but I liked him better in “One Fine Day”. Nicole Kidman is a very beautiful woman, but her acting just didn’t seem to fit her character. Personally, I’ll be waiting to see Spielberg’s first Dreamworks film, “Amistad”, due out this December.

Peter Wright, age 21

To me, this movie is one of the top action/thrillers this year. The bad guys and good guys (Clooney) were all ruthless and merciless. That plus gratuitous bloodshed means a really violent movie. For the entertainment, it was exciting and enjoyable. The plot is not new, but very well done. (Oh yeah, the last ten minutes on the bomb sure lasted a long time… tick, tick)

Bromilo, age 22

Not bad for Dreamworks' maiden voyage. The Peacemaker was a pretty good action flick. Clooney was on point and Kidman was good too. I particularly liked the suspenseful ending. All in all, another popcorn munching good time at the movies.

Chris Utley, age 24

We enjoyed this movie for the most part. A little to much blood shed, (not a surprise) but no sex and a good story. It was very entertaining and so much better than Batman and Robin. If you want to see really good George Clooney than this is it along with “One Fine Day.”

Jemelene Wilson, age 35