Michael Apted, who died in 2021, remains a filmmaker largely unknown to the general public. A solid craftsman, he produced interesting films throughout a career spanning fifty years, some of which have become classics, such as the powerful and moving Gorillas in the Mist in 1989, which revealed to the world the struggle of Dian Fossey to save the gorillas, portrayed on screen by Sigourney Weaver. In 1983, Michael Apted delivered a very solid spy thriller, a perfect embodiment of its time, during the Cold War: Gorky Park. The story follows Inspector Arkady Renko, who is tasked with investigating a triple murder that occurred at Gorky Park in Moscow. In trying to lift the veil on this sensitive case, he opposes the KGB, discovers the involvement of a wealthy American businessman before realizing that this story also has personal repercussions that he had not anticipated. Dustin Hoffman was in negotiations to play Renko, but his $5 million salary proved too heavy for the budget. William Hurt therefore inherited the role, just consecrated as a leading man after The First Time. However, he had not yet launched with the extraordinary performance he would give shortly afterwards in The Spider's Web, which would earn him the Oscar. The film itself had some turmoil: John Schlesinger had left the project due to scheduling conflicts, and Apted took over the direction. As for Lee Marvin, he was not the first choice to play Jack Osborne, this powerful American importer linked to the victims: the producers had first approached Cary Grant and Burt Lancaster before turning to him. It is nevertheless difficult to imagine another face behind this character today. Gorky Park is in fact one of the last films shot by the actor, who would die four years later. Due to the Cold War, the film was shot in Helsinki, Finland, and not in the Soviet Union. Initially, it was considered to shoot Gorky Park in Moscow itself. Obvious refusal by Soviet authorities, who replied most seriously: "there is no crime or corruption in Moscow." The result is a cold, methodical thriller, driven by a formidable duo Marvin / Hurt and Brian Dennehy in the obstinate New York policeman. The film was a semi-failure commercially, with $15.9 million in revenue for a $15 million budget, which makes it an ideal candidate for discovery or rediscovery. It is now available on Prime Video.