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As every movie fan knows by now, this was the long-awaited first film from Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks SKG. The company was set up in 1994 and then went strangely quiet before The Peacemaker set their standard of making diverse blockbusters such as Antz, The Prince of Egypt and Deep Impact.
Thanks to a huge budget and some of the world's top technical types, it features a series of stunts and set pieces so outrageous, it makes early Bond epics look like an episode of Dad's Army.
Inspiration for the movie evolved from an article by veteran investigative journalists Andrew and Leslie Cockburn. Drawn from declassified intelligence reports and factual news sources, the Cockburns' material documented the dangerous, high-stakes game of nuclear weapons smuggling in the former Soviet Union.
With the script polished to perfection, the producers just needed a suitable film-maker to bring their vision to life.
While the likes of James (Titanic) Cameron and Die Hard duo John McTiernan and Renny Harlin seemed like perfect choices, Dreamworks went out on a limb and hired one of ER's best directors.
Mimi Leder jumped at the chance to make this fast-moving thriller and proved that anything the lads could do, she could do better. However, she was a little concerned about typecasting. "I hope that I'm not only referred to as an 'action director,' but simply as a director," she remarked at the time of its release. "I didn't approach this as an action movie, but instead as a dramatic human story. It does encompass a vast, large scope, but at the core it is one man's personal tragedy which drives the action."
Alas, despite some meticulous attention to detail, there were a few errors that slipped through the net.
For instance, nuclear warheads intended for a military intercontinental missile would not have a manual timer. Not essential information for most of us as we try and work out the curry bill come midnight. However, it's nice to know that even Hollywood's top film-makers can get it wrong now and again.
As with most thrillers these days, the script is bogged down with jargon. However, once you strip away the hi-tech patter, The Peacemaker is perhaps best summed up by Clooney's character, Thomas Devoe, during a chat with Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman): "In the field, this is how it works: the good guys, that's us, we chase the bad guys. And they don't wear black hats. They are, however, all alike: they demand power, and respect, and they're willing to pay top dollar to get it."
© 1999 Roger Crow
