''Icon'' (or ''Frederick Forsyth's Icon'') is a 2005

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Charles Martin Smith Charles Martin Smith (born October 30, 1953) is an American actor, writer, and director of film and television, based in British Columbia. He is known for his roles in ''American Graffiti'' (1973), ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), '' Never Cry Wo ...

and very loosely based on the 1997 novel by

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...

. The film premiered on

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

May 30, 2005. It is set in the period 1985 to 1999.

Plot

During the 1999 Russian Presidential elections, the two leading candidates are Igor Komarov (

Patrick Bergin Patrick Connolly Bergin (born 4 February 1951) is an Irish actor and singer perhaps best known for his leading role opposite Julia Roberts in '' Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), the title character in Robin Hood (1991 film), terrorist Kevin ...

), a former Colonel of the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

, and Nikolai Nikolayev ( Joss Ackland), a retired General of the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

. When a car bomb explodes outside one of Komarov's pharmaceutical companies, and a virus is stolen from inside, an investigation by the FSB ensues headed by FSB agents Sonia Astrova (Annika Peterson) and Andrei Kasanov (Niko Nicotera). Their investigation is obstructed by the Director of the FSB, Anatoly Grishin (

Ben Cross Harry Bernard Cross (16 December 1947 – 18 August 2020) was an English stage and film actor. He was best known for playing Billy Flynn in the original West End production of the musical ''Chicago'', and his portrayal of the British Ol ...

). A British Embassy worker from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Sir Nigel Irvine (

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

), tracks down Jason Monk (

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

), a former CIA operative, who ran double agents in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and convinces him to investigate the incident. Once in Moscow, Jason finds an old friend, Viktor Akopov ( Steve Speirs), who agrees to hide Jason from Komarov's men. Viktor steals a residue sample of the bomb used and his scientist friend Tonkin (

Valentin Ganev Valentin Atanassov Ganev ( bg, Валентин Атанасов Ганев; born April 7, 1956) is a Bulgarian theatre and film actor and theatre director. Career Born in Ruse, Bulgaria, Ganev graduated from the All Russian State Institute for ...

) tells him that the explosive used,

Semtex Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex was developed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia, originally under the name B 1 ...

H, has a direct traceable link to the FSB. Tonkin is soon killed by Vladimir Dorganosov ( Tom Wlaschiha), the man who attacked Komarov industries and stole the bioweapon. Sonia and Andrei locate Leonid Zaitzev (

Theodor Danetti Theodor Danetti (; August 23, 1926 – January 16, 2016) was a Romanian stage and film actor. Life Danetti was born in 1926 in Corabia. He graduated from Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1955. He was distributed to t ...

), a cleaner who worked at the Komarov Industries plant and saw Dorganosov steal the virus. As they question him, Grishin appears, arrests Zaitzev and fires Sonia and Andrei. Zaitzev is later killed by Dorganosov while in custody. Sonia goes home to find Jason waiting for her, and agrees to help him access the FSB network. However, they are shot at by Dorganosov, and a car chase ensues. They go to Andrei's house where they find him already dead. After the chase, Dorganosov demands the rest of his payment from his contractor, who is revealed to be Anatoly Grishin. While they are arguing, Komarov himself arrives and orders Grishin to kill Dorganosov. Jason and Sonia come to realise that Grishin knew about the bombing in advance, and they raid his house for information. Jason is injured and, while he is unconscious, Sonia locates his daughter Elena (Marta Kondova) and brings her to him. While trawling through the information from Grishin's computer, they find a secret manifesto written by Komarov, which tells of his plans to unleash genocide on any "undesirables" in Russia. Jason realises that the bombing and the theft of the bioweapon were planned by Komarov, and mark the beginning of the genocide. Jason and Sonia go to Komarov's Presidential opponent, General Nikolayev, and try to expose Komarov but he announces having vaccinations for all viruses. This boosts his popularity, and leads to his election. Jason and Sonia find Komarov's facility outside Moscow and raid it. Sonia kills Grishin and takes his phone, which allows them to locate the FSB agents spreading the viruses. After Jason secretly hands Grishin's phone to Sir Nigel, he orders the arrest of the rogue FSB agents. Komarov's plan is revealed publicly, and riots ensue in the streets, calling for his resignation. Komarov attempts to mobilize the army against the rioting crowds, but Nikolayev, at Jason and Sonia's urging, convinces the troops to stand down. Komarov tries to escape but is cornered and shot by Jason and subsequently killed by the crowds. Nikolayev becomes the acting President, and Sonia is appointed head of the FSB. Jason moves back to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

with Elena, and resumes his job hiring out a fishing boat.

Cast

as Jason Monk *

as Igor Komarov *

as Sir Nigel Irvine * Annika Peterson as Sonia Astrova *

as Anatoly Grishin *

Jeff Fahey Jeffrey David Fahey (, born November 29, 1952) is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series ''Lost'' and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on ''The Marshal''. Early life an ...

as Harvey Blackledge * Joss Ackland as General Nikolai Nikolayev * Steve Speirs as Viktor Akopov *

Niko Nicotera Niko Nicotera is a German-born American actor best known for playing George "Ratboy" Skogstrom in the television series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2011–2014). Early life and education Niko was born in Giessen, Germany, on an American military base, a ...

as Andrei Kasanov *

as Vladimir Tonkin *

Barry Morse Herbert Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008), known professionally as Barry Morse, was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the ABC television series '' The Fugitive'' and the British sci-fi drama '' ...

as Josef Cherkassov * Tom Wlaschiha as Vladimir Dorganosov * Jay Benedict as Carey Jordan *

as Leonid Zaitsev * Marta Kondova as Elena

Reception

Robert Pardi of ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' gave the film 2/5 stars and remarked that screenwriters Adam Armus and Kay Foster butcher the best-selling source material.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Icon (Film) 2005 television films 2005 films Films based on thriller novels 2005 action thriller films Hallmark Channel original films Films based on British novels Films based on works by Frederick Forsyth Films about the Federal Security Service Films directed by Charles Martin Smith Films shot in Bulgaria Films set in Russia American spy films 2000s spy films Films scored by Daniel Licht 2000s English-language films 2000s American films