Unclear and Present Danger

• Hostile Waters

  On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched Hostile Waters, a 1997 made-for-TV movie directed by David Drury and starring Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen and Max von Sydow. Hostile Waters — based on a real-life incident, the loss of the Soviet Navy’s K-219 — was a joint production of HBO and the BBC, released first in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It received good reviews from critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Hostile Waters takes place on October 1986, off the east coast of the United States. A Soviet ballistic missile submarine, the K‑219, collides with the American hunter-killer submarine USS Aurora. The impact ruptures a missile tube aboard the Soviet boat, triggering seawater to seep in—causing a violent chemical reaction, toxic gas buildup, and a fire that threatens the entire submarine and its nuclear warheads.You can find Hostile Waters to stream for free on YouTube, or you could rent it on Amazon Prime or Apple TV.In their next episode, Jamelle and John will watch the 1997 legal thriller Red Corner, directed by Jon Avnet and starring Richard Gere. Here is a brief plot synopsis:An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.And don’t forget our Patreon! In our latest episode, we watched the 1983 film Danton, a dramatization of one of the most turbulent moments in the French Revolution. You can sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/unclearpod.

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• The Assignment

  On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched The Assignment, a 1997 political thriller directed by Christian Duguay and starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley.In The Assignment, Aidan Quinn plays Annibal Ramirez, a U.S. naval officer recruited by CIA agent Jack Shaw — played by Sutherland — for a special operation to capture the elusive terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Shaw, with the help of Mossad agent Amos, played by Kingsley, trains Ramirez to impersonate the terrorist so convincingly that he can infiltrate Carlos’s network and destroy it from within. As Ramirez dives deeper into his double life, the lines between his identity and that of Carlos begin to blur, testing his sanity, loyalty, and sense of self. The tension escalates as the mission nears its climax, forcing Ramirez to confront not only Carlos but the cost of becoming the enemy in order to defeat him.The tagline for The Assignment was “You can find The Assignment to rent or stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.Episodes come out roughly every two weeks, and we will see you then with an episode on the 1997 made-for-TV submarine movie Hostile Waters, directed by David Drury and starring Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen and Max von Sydow. And don’t forget our Patreon, where we cover the movies of the Cold War. Our most recent episode is on the Gene Hackman neo-noir Night Moves. For just $5 a month, you get two episodes a month, plus our Unclearpod community chat on Patreon. Come join us!

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• Executive Power

  On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched Executive Power, an obscure made-for-TV movie directed by David Corley and starring Craig Sheffer as Nick Seger, a Secret Service agent who gets entangled in a web of political intrigue and moral compromise after he assists the president in a deadly cover-up.There is not much more to the movie, but Jamelle and John try very hard to extract something like political insight from the proceedings! You can watch Executive Power for free on YouTube (although I would not recommend it).Our next episode is on The Assignment, a 1997 thriller directed by Christian Duguay and starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland, Ben Kinglsey and Claudia Ferri. Here is a brief plot synopsis:Jack Shaw has experienced the terror first-hand. He’s a top CIA agent who’s tracked international killer-for-hire Carlos “The Jackal” Sanchez for over twenty years and barely survived Carlos’ devastating bombing of a Parisian cafe. Now, he finally gets a break when he discovers Carlos’ dead ringer: American naval officer and dedicated family man Annibal Ramirez.And sign up for our Patreon, where we cover the films of the Cold War. Our next episode will be on Arthur Penn’s Night Moves. You can sign up at patreon.com/unclearpod.Our producer is Connor Lynch and our artwork is by Rachel Eck. You can reach out to us over email at [email protected]

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• The Peacemaker

  On this week's episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched The Peacemaker, a 1997 political action thriller directed by Mimi Leder and staring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.When a train carrying nuclear warheads crashes in rural Russia, nuclear specialist Dr. Julia Kelly is brought in by the U.S. government to investigate. She quickly discovers the incident was no accident, but part of a larger conspiracy to steal the warheads. Assigned to work with her is Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe, a brash U.S. Army intelligence officer who specializes in field operations.Together, Kelly and Devoe uncover a plot involving a rogue Russian general and a vengeful Yugoslav diplomat named Dusan Gavrić. Gavrić plans to detonate a nuclear bomb in New York City as a twisted act of personal vengeance and a misguided attempt at political "peace."As they chase the warheads across Europe, facing betrayals and dangerous obstacles, Kelly’s strategic thinking and Devoe’s action-driven instincts clash but ultimately complement each other. Their pursuit culminates in a high-stakes showdown in Manhattan, where they must stop Gavrić before he detonates the bomb in a crowded area. Risking everything, they race against the clock to prevent a catastrophic attack and avert a global crisis.The tagline for The Peacemaker was "Every nuclear device in the world has been accounted for...accept for one."You can find The Peacemaker to rent or purchase on Apple TV or Amazon Prime.Our next episode will be on Executive Power, a little-known political thriller directed by David L. Corley. Here is a brief plot synopsis.While protecting the U.S. President, Secret Service agent Nick Sager helps him to dispose of the body of a young girl, who accidentally died during an adulterous encounter. Some time later, a few weeks before the elections, the disillusioned ex-agent is approached by his former partner. The President’s former aide, and one of few people who knew about the cover-up, is found dead in mysterious circumstances.You can find Executive Power to rent on Amazon Prime.Our producer is Connor Lynch and our artwork is by Rachel Eck. You can reach out to us over email at [email protected]

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• Enemy of the State

  On this week's (somewhat delayed) episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by Matt Duss to discuss the 1998 conspiracy thriller Enemy of the State, directed by the late great Tony Scott and starring the late great Gene Hackman, as well as Will Smith, Jon Voight and Regina King.In their discussion, Jamelle, John and Matt talk the film's vision of the American surveillance state, its spiritual connection to The Conversation, Will Smith's superstar performance, and the ways the movie anticipated some of the political disputes of the post-9/11 era.The tagline for Enemy of the State was "It's not paranoia if they're really after you." You can find the film to rent or buy on Amazon.For the next episode of the podcast, Jamelle and John will watch The Peacemaker, a 1997 political thriller directed by Mimi Leder (of Pay It Forward and Deep Impact fame) and starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.And don’t forget about our Patreon! You can sign up at patreon.com/unclearpod. For just $5/month, you get two episodes on the films of the Cold War. Our next Patreon episode will be on The Conversation!Our producer is Connor Smith and our artwork is by Rachel Eck

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