I remembered the publicity this movie received in 1986 in such publications as NEWSWEEK, and was curious to find out what it was like. I mail-ordered it from RBC Video in Brooklyn, NY. The movie, in its original Russian, reveals that the CIA appointed US Army major Jack Hessalt to be in charge of a secret missile base in the Atlantic Ocean. Jack is still troubled by memories of Vietnam, and soon goes berserk, taking control of the base and killing some crew members. Jack and his cronies commandeer a powerful missile and proceed to perform terrorism ... but they haven't counted on a rough-n-ready squad of Russian Marines who are determined to open a whole borscht-barrel of a*s-whuppin'. For an action movie, this isn't bad if you take into account that the Russian film- makers had NO access to huge Stallone- sized budgets and special effects. The level of production values for this mid-80's Soviet movie are about equal to what a mid-60's American movie would have.
Review of The Detached Mission
