ScoobyWell
Great visuals, story delivers no surprises
Motompa
Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.
Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
SnoopyStyle
Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko (Mikhail Baryshnikov) is a Soviet defector ballet star. During a flight from Tokyo, the plane is forced to land in Siberia. The injured Kolya is taken by KGB Colonel Chaiko to dance once again for the Soviet Union. Former American Raymond Greenwood (Gregory Hines) becomes his minder and dance motivator. Raymond is a defector and performer who is married to Russian girl Darya (Isabella Rossellini). Galina Ivanova (Helen Mirren) is Kolya's former partner and old flame. Kolya wants to escape but he has to determine if Raymond is a friend or foe.The chemistry between Baryshnikov and Hines is great. Baryshnikov is not necessarily a good actor but he doesn't need to be great in this. Their clashing styles of dance is fun and thrilling. The escape isn't anything great but there are locations in Leningrad. This is an old style communist espionage thriller in the ever-changing new era of détente.
bvsfan
I don't know how it is that I've never seen this movie especially since my daughter was a tap dancer for 12 years and we were both such huge fans of Gregory Hines. The dancing is superb by both Mikhail and Gregory. The acting a little stiff especially by MB. Predictable but for me, the dancing and the music make the movie. The plot is ridiculous. It's too bad that Gregory Hines wasn't bigger during the 80's and 90's, it's a shame that dancing didn't make a comeback in films the way it should have. Loved the background music, loved the sole dance scene by Hines, loved the duet by both of them, HATED the opening sequence, everything I always hated about "modern" dance. Still worth seeing, if only for the dancing and the somewhat factual USSR defection problems. Seems so long ago now that artists and others actually had to "escape" a country. But the question still begs to be asked: If Raymond needed to leave the U.S. why in the H*** would he end up in freaking Siberia vs. all the other European countries he could have moved to??
elisa-liv
The two giant and opposing nations of the Cold War, Russia and the United States of America, are represented through the protagonists of "White Nights". Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov are two superb dancers who act in the film, and delight the viewer through artistic communication. The emotion evoked by their performances is unparalleled; feelings of despair, frustration, anger and desire for freedom are all present in their body-language. The title of the film refers to a natural occurrence, present in northern Russia: The White Nights are a phenomenon which lasts a few weeks between Spring and Summer. During this time, there is light for most the night; after sunset and during twilight, it looks white and clear... a white night. This film is truly worth watching, I own it and am glad. Not only does it possess a grand artistic value, but also a great story from a historical period in which one's life was completely controlled by political agreements. It is in this Orwellian society, that human values arise and struggle for survival... do not miss it!
sorrow87
Well it's a pretty fantastic movie, combining two of the greatest dancers of our time in a bunch of fantastic sequences. And that's the good part.I think the anti-Soviet propaganda is pretty strong with this one, but really, what can you expect from an American director at the height of the Cold War? Still, some of the parts can be a bit much if you're from the generation after.All in all, a good movie. Mikhail the disenchanted expatriate dancer who longs for his former glories, and Gregory Hines the tortured protagonist who simply longs for a better life.
