gridoon2024 Review of Russian Roulette

Russian Roulette (1975)

Disjointed espionage thriller improves somewhat as it goes along

[5/10 · 13 August 2014]

George Segal is slightly out of his element in the action-spy genre, but he handles himself well enough; the major problem with "Russian Roulette" is a disjointed script, as a result of which very little happens in the film for about an hour! Once the main idea of the plot - and it's a pretty good one - is revealed, the film does improve somewhat, and there are three or four admittedly great stunts (the only memorable moments of "Russian Roulette"). Segal's co-star, Christina Raines, is pretty, she reminded me of Ali MacGraw, I wonder why she is so forgotten today. And the biggest mystery: why hire an actress of Louise Fletcher's caliber (who won the Oscar the same year for "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest") only to give her such a completely throwaway bit part? ** out of 4.