The Peacemaker (Widescreen Edition)

International terrorists set off a nuclear explosion on a Russian train carrying warheads earmarked for dismantling in order to cover their theft of the remaining weapons. U.S. Army Special Forces officer George Clooney and scientist Nicole Kidman work together in a desperate global search to find the stolen warheads before they're put to use in this gripping action-thriller, the debut release from Dreamworks. Armin Mueller-Stahl, Marcel Iures also star. 124 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: Spanish; biographies; theatrical trailers.

It seems that thrillers these days--even good ones--are all about scene-chewing bad guys, cute retorts fit for the Dennis Miller show, and one big special effect to end the movie. Well, something like IThe Peacemaker/I, the first feature film from DreamWorks, puts the record straight. Here is an expertly paced thriller with a sensible villain, smart instead of cute dialogue, and a focus on action instead of special effects. It's not original, just solid. It's the second of these energetic and effective thrillers that writer Michael Schiffer (ICrimson Tide/I) has penned. The White House Nuclear Smuggling Group tracks down 10 stolen nuclear bombs after a suspicious train wreck in Russia. The acting head of the department (Nicole Kidman) and her military field officer (George Clooney) are off to Europe to track down the bombs. Instead of a Gary Oldman-Bruce Dern madman, IThe Peacemaker/I's heavy is an unknown Romanian actor (Marcul Iures) playing a Bosnian rebel who works passionately and quietly. This may be a popcorn movie, but it uses the ripe emotions of the Bosnian War to create tension. This is the best film vehicle yet for the overwhelming charisma of George Clooney as a quick witted, generally warm Oliver North type who will seek deadly vengeance without pause. He's matched very well by the professional polish of Nicole Kidman who is showing great flexibility in dividing her roles between serious and fun fare. I--Doug Thomas/I