I have not seen and heard the original version.I am no Russian, but I am learning right now.I also have no preferences for Russia, Bulgaia, the US etc.But what I have to mention is:In the German synchronisation in the whole film all Russians speak with Russian accent. Americans talk "Hochdeutsch" (without accent)! I have never heard such a stupidity! Besides, this is boring.I hope the original is better.The rest is a simple thriller, not really good ideas. Like a cheap version of a James Bond film.

I'd like to point out some positive things about ICON - the lead review here at IMDb pounded this telefilm pretty hard! lol. There were several decent action sequences (by 'decent', I mean much better than those silly ones on '24' where the good guys show up with tiny pistols and no flak-jackets or radio-gear). Lots of flash and bang - a truck blows up early in the film, which is sort of a launching point for the plot. Looked realistic to me, not unlike the sequence in the recent 'Quiet American'.There were good actors: Barry Morse (still alive?) and Ben Cross. Swayze (Jason Monk) is OK, but maybe miscast in this one - he doesn't have the right face. I thought the Russian urban scenes were impressive - it's a beautiful country, you know. I liked 'the Saint', 'Hunt for Red October' and 'Russia House' - films with insight into the Russian culture - and problems. That's why the book 'ICON' and this DVD appealed to me.However, I don't know why the writers chose to stray from Forsythe's super novel, which is in my top-10 favorites. I thought the basic novel plot was a natural screenplay: the ICON's grim political manifesto - and how it falls into Western hands. Also, Monk's early career unfolds as the CIA loses to the Russians in the spy game before the Cold War ends. This gave us some insight into Monk's skills, espionage background and disillusionment, but the screenplay follows a different track. The writers added a pretty female agent, and an ex-family for Jason Monk.Up here in Canada, PG-13 'Action' films are hard to come by ('Munich' was just released as 18-A). This film has no sexual scenes or profanity. So, watch it for fun -- and then read the book for the real thing.

I decided to rent this, not expecting much since Hallmark stuff is usually kinda soft but what a surprise! Action and suspense. Patrick Swayze is back and kicks ass! It would be great to see him in a real action flick ie Tom Cruise style. I did not read the book but are they ever true to the novel?The cast is great. The girl who plays Sonya (Annika Peterson) is both hot and smart. She runs the show which is impressive in a male dominated flick where the girl is usually just a sex object. This of course made my wife happy. Michael York, from Austen Powers, is slick. However, he could use some more gadgets. The gadgets were weak along with the special effects but the story is a good reflection of what is going on in the world today.

Fans of the novel will more than likely be disappointed. But if you are interested in seeing a decent spy thriller, I recommend this. The cast is good and its got high production values.The cast is a good one. Patrick Swayze fits the role of Jason Monk perfectly and bares quite a resemblance to the character in the novel. Patrick Bergin and Ben Cross are excellent as the villains. But the best acted part in the film has to go to Micael York for his role of Sir Nigel Irvine. Joss Ackland also gives a good performance as the underused Russian General turned presidential candidate.Also on the plus side,the production values are high. The action sequences are good and exciting. The locations look real and are obviously not faked and the score is one of the best i've heard recently for TV movies.Ont he downside, the film's plot and its length are a downside. Most of the novel is scrapped and the great Black Manifesto is replaced (for the most part) by a virus. The addition of Monk's daughter and the female FSB agent are also added on to the novel's plot and are often irrelevant to the main part of the story. The plot is highly unbelievable and the duologue come in the tons in this film and winds it down several times.SPOILER! : The biggest flaw is the ending. The novel featured Komarov's and his army launching an attack on Moscow leading to a battle that would have been great on screen Instead it is replaced by simply having Komarov chased out by protesters and being shot by monk. An anti-climactic ending if there ever was one.Despite these flaws, Icon is still watchable and, while not faithful to the novel, is a decent spy thriller.