Name: Gulag
Director: Roger Young
Genre: Drama, TV Movie
Released: 1985-01-13
Duration: 130 min
Rating: 5.6
Cast: David Keith, Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke, John McEnery, Nancy Paul

TMB

What if the Olympics were just a trap? 1985 Cold War paranoia hits different.

Soviet nightmare fuelPrison break desperationMalcolm McDowell being creepy

Overview

Drama TV Movie

Mickey Almon is a sports star turned reporter covering the athletics in Moscow. Framed by the KGB and forced to confess that he was spying for America, he is sentenced to detention in a Gulag, a barbaric prison camp in the wilds of Siberia. Unable to prove his innocence, Mickey must either put up with the inhuman conditions or engineer an escape.

Content warning

False confession and manufactured guiltSurvival vs. moral compromiseState machinery of dehumanizationIdentity stripped to instinct

Standout Aspects

Acting

Malcolm McDowell's unsettling camp philosopher

Production

Norway standing in for Siberia, somehow works

Best for:Solo·Streaming

Heads up:Violence·Disturbing

Director

Roger Young

ReleasedJan 13, 1985

Runtime2h 10m

StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady

Intensityhigh

Tonedark

Feelheavy

MFI Furniture Group

Top Cast

David Keith

Mickey Almon

Malcolm McDowell

The Englishman

Warren Clarke

Hooker

John McEnery

Diczek

Nancy Paul

Susan Almon

Brian Pettifer

Vlasov

George Pravda

Bukovsky

Shane Rimmer

Jay

Eugene Lipinski

Yuri

Ask about Gulag

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Filmed entirely in Norway during winter, with cast and crew battling actual subzero conditions that mirrored the story.

Cultural

Released during renewed Cold War tensions, this HBO original was part of a wave of anti-Soviet prestige TV that helped establish the network's serious drama reputation before The Sopranos era.