It’s easily been a couple of decades since I last watched this techno-thriller with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. I have to say, in the current geo-political environment, it’s hard to see the Americans as the good guys, working against Russian and Eastern European interests. And it’s sad that I feel that way.

A group of terrorists have seized some Russian nuclear weapons which were scheduled to be dismantled. They have a plan, they have a target, and they seem to be ready for anything. Two trains seemingly crash together by accident, one of them carrying nuclear missiles, the explosion rocks the world, but it also hides the crime of stolen weapons.

Enter Colonel Devoe (Clooney) and nuclear expert, Dr. Julia Kelly (Kidman).

Kelly begins to believe that not all of the missiles were destroyed and that this wasn’t an accident, and Devoe is the tactical instrument she will use to track it down. The pair don’t quite click from the get-go, Devoe’s style isn’t to Kelly’s liking, but the pair begin to prove themselves to one another as the stakes get higher.

What follows is a fast-paced globe-trotting techno-thriller with a driving score by Hans Zimmer, tight direction by Mimi Leder and fun performances from both Kidman and Clooney.

The film moves at a crisp pace and also features an enjoyable performance by Armin Mueller-Stahl, which leads into a brilliant chase sequence.

Pairing Kidman and Clooney works wonderfully on screen and Clooney brings his relaxed charm and casual cool to Devoe even as the characters are plunged into an adventure that could push the world to war.

Leder came up through ER and was picked by Steven Spielberg to direct this film, which was the first for the newly formed Dreamworks SKG. I saw this one in the theater when it came out, and I remember the wall of videocassettes in our store when it hit home video.

It’s enjoyable, smart, and doesn’t let up until the credits roll.

There are some great sequences throughout the film, from the helicopter hunt to the white knuckle climax which involves defusing a nuclear bomb in New York.

It feels like it owes a bit of a debt to Tom Clancy books and films, though you could make that argument for any techno-thriller that came out after 1990. And it ends up being a genre that I greatly enjoy, and think this one is a prime example.

And it’s still a lot of fun.