It had been a while since I originally watched this Kevin Costner thriller, but the ending remained with me, so I was able to revisit the film for the first time in decades knowing how things play out and watch the performances and the clues that lead things to play out the way they do.

And it’s a lot of fun.

Sure, the score by Maurice Jarre doesn’t always feel like it fits, and there are a couple of truly horrible pop songs used, but overall this one, which is packed with familiar character actors, entertains.

Costner is Commander Tom Farrell and he’s in a relationship with Susan Atwell (Sean Young), who just also happens to be the mistress of political powerhouse David Brice (Gene Hackman). To make things even more complicated, Brice has recently brought Tom onto his staff at the Pentagon to serve as his intelligence liaison, being recommended by Brice’s aide, and an old acquaintance of Tom’s, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton).

Farrell finds himself enmeshed in political scheming, but things take a turn for the worse when a jealous Brice murders Susan, and he puts Tom in charge of the investigation, while Scott cleans up any connection between Brice and Susan leaving the question of who murdered Susan?

Scott pitches the idea of ‘Yuri,’ it seems there is evidence that there are Soviet sleeper agents in the government, and they could hang it on him if they can prove who Susan was seeing. Tom and Susan had kept their relationship secret, so if that truth gets revealed, he could be used as a scapegoat.

A witchhunt follows, and the race is on for Farrell to find a piece of evidence that proves Brice killed Susan while stymying the investigation to keep his involvement with Susan a secret.

Everyone is intent on finding the Russian spy and solving the murder, and Tom could be the perfect patsy.

Once the story gets rolling, this is a solid thriller, and I love the fact that Mace Neufield produced this one, and there are references to a Russian phantom sub, which is exactly what the U.S. is after in the Mace Neufield produced The Hunt for Red October.

Costner and Hackman are great, and there are some great character pieces I love with Sean Young in this film. And the supporting cast; George Dzunda, Iman, Jason Bernard, Marshall Bell, John D’Aquino, and watch the background at the party, because Brad Pitt is in there!

Watching the performances, knowing how it would all play out, you have to admire the way some of the characters pull things on, and the subtle things actors do to layer in performances and hints about true nature.

This one was a fun revisit.