Where to watch Comrades in Arms
4 Stars
The Cold War is over, but the battle is still blazing as Russia and America join forces. When a ruthless international drug cartel threatens to impose a new world order of its own, aggressive no-nonsense CIA chief Rob Reed, calls an emergency summit with his KGB counterpart. With lightning speed, Red Army Spetnatz commandos and the elite U.S. Delta Force are dispatched into action. But as the cartel’s terrorist army continues its march across international borders, it’s up to Green Beret veteran Rick Burns to forge the Americans and Soviets into a fighting machine before time runs out. From the jungles of Colombia to the heart of Red Square, two former enemies join forces under one common cause when survival means they must become comrades in arms.
Wow. If the movies Act of Valor and Iron Eagle II were meshed with the fictional work of Tom Clancy, you’d have a clear idea of what Comrades in Arms is able to accomplish. This is a very entertaining and well-executed production from director J. Christian Ingvordsen. I wasn’t familiar with Ingvordsen’s name, but after watching this flick, I had to find out more about him and hunt down his other films. Any filmmaker with the balls to cast American football icon Lyle Alzado as a Russian solider is alright with me.
Many scenes in Comrades in Arms seem to have been filmed without synced sound, and a lot of dialogue must have been added during post-production. There are stretches when chatter over communication devices dominates the soundtrack, which gives the film a video game vibe. This creative touch by Ingvordsen and his sound designers implemented a creative solution to fill periods of what would otherwise be silence. Viewing Comrades in Arms today makes the action feel more intense and modern than other movies from 1991. The concept of the movie—East and West team up to take on Columbian drug lords—is outdated and, in hindsight, another folly in global politics. However, Comrades in Arms has a swagger and charm that is undeniable, and I thoroughly enjoyed the flick.
Directed by: J. Christian Ingvordsen
Written by: J. Christian Ingvordsen, Steven Kaman, John Weiner
Starring: Lyle Alzado, Rick Washburn, J. Christian Ingvordsen