Red King, White Knight (1989)

When the CIA hears of a plot by the KGB to assassinate a high ranking Soviet official with progressive ideas, they send a retired agent (Tom Skerritt) to Russia to authenticate the threat. But things don't go according to plan and the ex-agent finds himself trapped without an exit plan. Directed by Geoff Murphy (THE QUIET EARTH), this is an unexceptional Cold War spy thriller. The plot is often incoherent and the movie generates no suspense or tension until the film's last ten minutes. Tom Skerritt is a solid character actor in supporting roles (THE TURNING POINT) or ensemble films (ALIEN) but he's a hole in the screen as a leading man, not that the unconvincing script does him any favors. Hungary convincingly stands in for the Soviet Union. With Helen Mirren, Max Von Sydow (wasted), Tom Bell, Barry Corbin and Gavan O'Herlihy.