Once upon a time (and to be fair, more prominently in the last few years as well) — Russia was the undisputed leader of cinema bad guys in the United States.
Current events of the day have you a little — stressed? Something tells me these movies are going to spike on streaming. Take a break from the news and maybe watch one of these pieces of cinema. Here is a list of the Top 10 movies where Russians are the bad guys, listed in no particular order.
Rocky IV (1985)
Ivan Drago. Need we say more?
Miracle (2004)
The U.S. Men’s Hockey Team victory over the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics was nothing short of a….well, you get it.
Air Force One (1994)
“Get off my plane!”
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The actual title is a little more involved — Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb — and so too is this legendary satirical look at the Cold War at its height. Legendary director (Stanley Kubrick) and legendary comedic actor (Peter Sellers).
Goldeneye (1995)
James Bond and the Russians….name a better duo. Plus, Xenia Onatopp gives me that confusing feeling in my stomach.
John Wick (2014)
The criminal underworld is ripe for cinematic conflicts. It can be the Mob. It can the Yakuza. Or, it can be the Russians. Who know better not to piss off Keanu Reeves.
The Hunt For Red October (1990)
The complicated nature of the late Cold War is captured well in this chess-like thriller in which a Soviet nuclear sub captain may or may not be trying to defect the the United States. You know it’s good when you don’t have to use the actors full names: Connery. Baldwin. And James Earl Jones, who you need all three names to really appreciate.
Red Dawn (1984)
Accept no substitutes for the original — what American teenagers might do if the Soviet Union were to suddenly appear on U.S. soil.
Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow (1994)
Just kidding. (Seriously, how did we make it to seven movies in this franchise — I was good after number one, and that’s stretching it.)
