Icon (film)
Encyclopedia
Icon is a Hallmark Channel
original television film directed by Charles Martin Smith
and based on the novel
by Frederick Forsyth
. The film premiered on the network May 30, 2005. It is set in the period 1985 to 1999.
), a former Colonel of the KGB
, and a retired General Nikolai Nikolayev (Joss Ackland
). An investigation by the FSB ensues when a car bomb explodes outside one of Komarov’s pharmaceutical companies, and a virus is stolen from inside. Heading the investigation FSB agents Sonia Astrova (Annika Peterson) and her colleague Andrei Kasanov (Niko Nicotera). They come up against difficulty by the director of the FSB, Anatoly Grishin (Ben Cross
).
A British Embassy worker from Moscow
, Sir Nigel Irvine (Michael York
), travels to southern Spain to try and find Jason Monk (Patrick Swayze
), a former CIA operative who ran double agents in the Soviet Union
, and tries to convince him to go to Moscow and investigate the Komarov Industries bombing. Eventually, after much persuasion, including help to find his Russian daughter, Monk agrees to go.
Once in Moscow, Jason finds an old friend, Victor Akopov (Steve Speirs), whose brother Sergei was a double agent of Jason’s, who was personally executed by Komarov. Victor agrees to hide Jason from Komarov’s men. Pretending to be a friend of Sonia Astrova’s father, he gains access to her office and steals a sample of residue from the bombing, which he gives to another friend of his, Vladimir Tonkin (Valentin Ganev), a former scientist. Tonkin finds that the explosive used was Semtex
H, with a direct traceable link to the FSB. When he tells Jason about his findings, he is killed by Vladimir Dorganosov (Tom Wlaschiha
), the same man who attacked Komarov industries and stole the bioweapon, who has since released it into a Muslim village in Dagestan.
Outgoing Russian president Cherkassov (Barry Morse
) wants the biological situation in Dagestan to be dealt with internally, but later on, after much persuasion from Komarov and Grishin, he sends out an international alert to identity and contain the outbreak.
Sonia locates Leonid Zaitzev (Theodor Danetti), a cleaner who worked at the Komarov Industries plant and saw Dorganosov steal the virus, who has gone on the run after his home was ransacked. While questioning him, Grishin arrests Zaitzev and fires Sonia and Andrei. Zaitzev was later by killed by Dorganosov while in custody. Sonia goes home to find Jason waiting for her, and agrees to help him access the FSB network. However, they are fired at by Dorganosov, and a car chase ensues, with Dorganosov tracking them by using Sonia’s phone, until she discards it. They go to Andrei’s house, where they find him already dead.
After the chase, Dorganosov demands the rest of his payment from his contractor, who is none other than Anatoly Grishin. While they are arguing, Komarov himself arrives and orders Grishin to kill Dorganosov.
While at Victor’s apartment, Jason and Sonia come to realise that Grishin knew about the bombing in advance, and raid his house for information. Jason is injured, and while he is unconscious, Sonia locates his daughter Elena (Marta Kondova) and brings her to him.
While trawling through the information gained from Grishin’s computer, they come across a photograph which reveals that Grishin and Komarov are old friends, and a secret manifesto written by Komarov, which tells of his plans to unleash genocide on any “undesirables” from Russia. Jason realises that the bombing and the theft of the bioweapon were planned by Komarov from the beginning. The virus was released to look like a terrorist attack, allowing Komarov to be elected President, he being the only candidate with an anti-terror campaign. It was also the beginning of the genocide.
Jason and Sonia go Komarov’s Presidential opponent, General Nikolayev, who stages a press conference and tells of Komarov’s involvement in the bombing at his facility. However, Grishin arrives and introduces Komarov, who tells of his coincidental ownership of vaccines to every virus in his facility. The move boosts Komarov’s popularity, and leads to his election.
Jason and Sonia confront Komarov’s American electoral hacker, Harvey Blackledge (Jeff Fahey
), who tells them of a facility outside Moscow. Afterwards, Blackledge was killed by an assassin posing as a taxi driver. Jason and Sonia travel there, and find that Komarov’s famous speech of “sun rays spreading across Russia” means his plan for genocide, with different viruses each targeting different ethnic minorities within the country. After battling to escape the facility, Jason and Sonia find Victor dead in his apartment. Jason then travels to Elena’s house where he is captured by Komarov’s men. After being interrogated by Grishin, he escapes with the help of Elena, and Sonia, who kills Grishin and takes his phone, which allows them to locate the FSB agents spreading the viruses. After Jason secretly hands Grishin's phone to Sir Nigel, he orders the arrests of the rogue FSB agents. Komarov’s plan is revealed publicly, and riots ensue in the streets, calling for his resignation. Komarov, hidden from the public, instigates martial law. When he is spotted, he orders his men to fire into the crowd of people trying to get to him. Before they can fire, however, Nikolayev arrives and commands them to lower their weapons. The crowd storm the building, however Komarov escapes down an alleyway, where he is confronted by Jason Monk and Sonia. As he tries to kill Jason, however, he is shot, and the crowd rushes in and kills him.
Nikolayev becomes the acting President, and Sonia is appointed head of the FSB. Jason moves back to Spain with Elena, and resumes his job hiring out a fishing boat.
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
original television film directed by Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer, and director.-Early life:Smith was born in Van Nuys, California. His father, Frank Smith, was a film cartoonist and animator, while his uncle Paul J. Smith was an animator as well as a director for the Walter Lantz Studios...
and based on the novel
Icon (novel)
Icon is an thriller novel by British author Frederick Forsyth. Its plot centres around the politics of the Russian Federation in 1999, with an extremist party close to seizing power...
by Frederick Forsyth
Frederick Forsyth
Frederick Forsyth, CBE is an English author and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan and The Cobra.-...
. The film premiered on the network May 30, 2005. It is set in the period 1985 to 1999.
Plot
During the 1999 Russian Presidential elections, the two leading candidates are Igor Komarov (Patrick BerginPatrick Bergin
Patrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
), a former Colonel of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, and a retired General Nikolai Nikolayev (Joss Ackland
Joss Ackland
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE , known as Joss Ackland, is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films and numerous television roles.-Early life:...
). An investigation by the FSB ensues when a car bomb explodes outside one of Komarov’s pharmaceutical companies, and a virus is stolen from inside. Heading the investigation FSB agents Sonia Astrova (Annika Peterson) and her colleague Andrei Kasanov (Niko Nicotera). They come up against difficulty by the director of the FSB, Anatoly Grishin (Ben Cross
Ben Cross
Ben Cross is a British actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.-Early life:...
).
A British Embassy worker from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Sir Nigel Irvine (Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
), travels to southern Spain to try and find Jason Monk (Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
), a former CIA operative who ran double agents in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and tries to convince him to go to Moscow and investigate the Komarov Industries bombing. Eventually, after much persuasion, including help to find his Russian daughter, Monk agrees to go.
Once in Moscow, Jason finds an old friend, Victor Akopov (Steve Speirs), whose brother Sergei was a double agent of Jason’s, who was personally executed by Komarov. Victor agrees to hide Jason from Komarov’s men. Pretending to be a friend of Sonia Astrova’s father, he gains access to her office and steals a sample of residue from the bombing, which he gives to another friend of his, Vladimir Tonkin (Valentin Ganev), a former scientist. Tonkin finds that the explosive used was Semtex
Semtex
Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex became notoriously popular with terrorists because it was, until recently, extremely difficult to detect, as in the case of Pan Am...
H, with a direct traceable link to the FSB. When he tells Jason about his findings, he is killed by Vladimir Dorganosov (Tom Wlaschiha
Tom Wlaschiha
- Biography :Born in Dohna , Wlaschiha followed his Abitur with acting training at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig from 1992 to 1996, and attended the Conservatoire pour les Arts Liège in 1994....
), the same man who attacked Komarov industries and stole the bioweapon, who has since released it into a Muslim village in Dagestan.
Outgoing Russian president Cherkassov (Barry Morse
Barry Morse
Herbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
) wants the biological situation in Dagestan to be dealt with internally, but later on, after much persuasion from Komarov and Grishin, he sends out an international alert to identity and contain the outbreak.
Sonia locates Leonid Zaitzev (Theodor Danetti), a cleaner who worked at the Komarov Industries plant and saw Dorganosov steal the virus, who has gone on the run after his home was ransacked. While questioning him, Grishin arrests Zaitzev and fires Sonia and Andrei. Zaitzev was later by killed by Dorganosov while in custody. Sonia goes home to find Jason waiting for her, and agrees to help him access the FSB network. However, they are fired at by Dorganosov, and a car chase ensues, with Dorganosov tracking them by using Sonia’s phone, until she discards it. They go to Andrei’s house, where they find him already dead.
After the chase, Dorganosov demands the rest of his payment from his contractor, who is none other than Anatoly Grishin. While they are arguing, Komarov himself arrives and orders Grishin to kill Dorganosov.
While at Victor’s apartment, Jason and Sonia come to realise that Grishin knew about the bombing in advance, and raid his house for information. Jason is injured, and while he is unconscious, Sonia locates his daughter Elena (Marta Kondova) and brings her to him.
While trawling through the information gained from Grishin’s computer, they come across a photograph which reveals that Grishin and Komarov are old friends, and a secret manifesto written by Komarov, which tells of his plans to unleash genocide on any “undesirables” from Russia. Jason realises that the bombing and the theft of the bioweapon were planned by Komarov from the beginning. The virus was released to look like a terrorist attack, allowing Komarov to be elected President, he being the only candidate with an anti-terror campaign. It was also the beginning of the genocide.
Jason and Sonia go Komarov’s Presidential opponent, General Nikolayev, who stages a press conference and tells of Komarov’s involvement in the bombing at his facility. However, Grishin arrives and introduces Komarov, who tells of his coincidental ownership of vaccines to every virus in his facility. The move boosts Komarov’s popularity, and leads to his election.
Jason and Sonia confront Komarov’s American electoral hacker, Harvey Blackledge (Jeff Fahey
Jeff Fahey
Jeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
), who tells them of a facility outside Moscow. Afterwards, Blackledge was killed by an assassin posing as a taxi driver. Jason and Sonia travel there, and find that Komarov’s famous speech of “sun rays spreading across Russia” means his plan for genocide, with different viruses each targeting different ethnic minorities within the country. After battling to escape the facility, Jason and Sonia find Victor dead in his apartment. Jason then travels to Elena’s house where he is captured by Komarov’s men. After being interrogated by Grishin, he escapes with the help of Elena, and Sonia, who kills Grishin and takes his phone, which allows them to locate the FSB agents spreading the viruses. After Jason secretly hands Grishin's phone to Sir Nigel, he orders the arrests of the rogue FSB agents. Komarov’s plan is revealed publicly, and riots ensue in the streets, calling for his resignation. Komarov, hidden from the public, instigates martial law. When he is spotted, he orders his men to fire into the crowd of people trying to get to him. Before they can fire, however, Nikolayev arrives and commands them to lower their weapons. The crowd storm the building, however Komarov escapes down an alleyway, where he is confronted by Jason Monk and Sonia. As he tries to kill Jason, however, he is shot, and the crowd rushes in and kills him.
Nikolayev becomes the acting President, and Sonia is appointed head of the FSB. Jason moves back to Spain with Elena, and resumes his job hiring out a fishing boat.
Cast
- Jason Monk - Patrick SwayzePatrick SwayzePatrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
- Igor Komarov - Patrick BerginPatrick BerginPatrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
- Sir Nigel Irvine - Michael YorkMichael York (actor)Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
- Sonia Astrova - Annika Peterson
- Anatoly Grishin - Ben CrossBen CrossBen Cross is a British actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.-Early life:...
- Harvey Blackledge - Jeff FaheyJeff FaheyJeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
- Nikolai Nikolayev - Joss AcklandJoss AcklandSidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE , known as Joss Ackland, is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films and numerous television roles.-Early life:...
- Victor Akopov - Steve Speirs
- Andrei Kasanov - Niko Nicotera
- Vladimir Tonkin - Valentin Ganev
- Josef Cherkassov - Barry MorseBarry MorseHerbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
- Vladmir Dorganosov - Tom WlaschihaTom Wlaschiha- Biography :Born in Dohna , Wlaschiha followed his Abitur with acting training at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig from 1992 to 1996, and attended the Conservatoire pour les Arts Liège in 1994....
- Carey Jordan - Jay BenedictJay BenedictJay Benedict is an American actor, best known in the United Kingdom for his role as Captain John Kieffer in Foyle's War .He has lived and worked in Europe since the 1960s...
- Leonid Zaitzev - Theodor Danetti
- Elena - Marta Kondova