Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
When a train carrying atomic warheads mysteriously crashes in the former Soviet Union, a nuclear specialist discovers the accident is really part of a plot to cover up the theft of the weapons. Assigned to help her recover the missing bombs is a crack Special Forces Colonel.
The Peacemaker is a competent but formulaic post-Cold War thriller. The plot follows a fairly predictable stolen-nukes narrative with few surprises, and the villain's motivations, while occasionally humanized, don't elevate the material significantly. Nicole Kidman and George Clooney share watchable chemistry and deliver professional performances that keep the film engaging, but neither is given much depth to work with. Visually, director Mimi Leder delivers solid mainstream action filmmaking with competent set pieces — the train crash and European chase sequences are well-staged — but nothing cinematically distinctive. As DreamWorks' first live-action release, it's historically notable, but the film itself treads well-worn 90s action-thriller territory. The ending, a ticking-clock bomb defuse in New York, is tension-lite and overly conventional, deflating rather than paying off the film's modest dramatic build.