Very well executed

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

High production values and a decent soundtrack doesn't redeem the hammy overacting and cheesy plot. Chinese nuclear threat meets Steven Seagal's aromatherapist/dietitian/cameraman. The QE2 is a marvelous ship, was a totally enjoyable record (Mike Oldfield), and shall ever be embarrassed to be featured in this film. And, for a Taiwanese national raised in Hong Kong, the vixen speaks remarkably good English - no accent at all.Worst line: (during dinner, before the sh*t hits the fan) "...then I said, 'After you, Miss Streep.'"I'm supposed to write ten lines, but I'm afraid this film doesn't merit that much attention (contradicted by the fact that I bothered to comment on it at all.) But, then again, I liked 'Xanadu'. Go figure. At least this one had commercials.

Well, it's not the deepest or most thought-provoking movie ever made, but one very big reason to see it, is to watch Rachel Blakely (Australian actress probably best known to U.S. fans, for her, in my opinion, terrific portrayal of adventuress Marguerite Krux, in "The Lost World") totally rock, in her role! She has got the action-heroine part down cold, and she even looks fabulous while she's kicking the bad guys' butts, in an evening dress and heels!! I hope this role gives her a higher profile, and more visibility... and will lead to further roles in movies and TV, that will be seen more widely in the U.S. She deserves it!! This actress made "Counterstrike" worth viewing, for me.

It seems that the main criticisms of TV action films are that they are predictable and made on lower budgets than theatrical releases. These criticisms are moot since you can always count on the good guys to win and one shouldn't expect big screen budgets on television movies. One must view the piece knowing these facts going in. This movie totally succeeded in providing enjoyable, escapist, action viewing. You could tell from the opening scenes that this would be a cut above the rest. It was the best original movie I've seen on TBS. If I had to find an area of criticism it would be to the director and teleplay for a couple of scenes that could have been deleted and a couple that needed some extra development. Now, the most enjoyable part of all was the super performance by Rob Estes as ATF agent Thomas Kellogg. Estes is a fine actor and he brought charisma and style to the role. Athletic and nimble he made the action scenes look easy. He was totally convincing. Joe Lando was fine as the older brother and there was a believable sibling dynamic between the two. The U.S. submarine crew also was very good and deserves mention. A very watchable and enjoyable film loaded with action. Hey TBS, how about some further adventures with the Kellogg brothers? Really enjoyed Estes and the film very much.

This is without doubt one of the best films of its type. The actors are not all household names, by any means, but this is no disadvantage at all. The characters are all charismatic and well-acted. You get a real sense of adventure and, especially importantly, of participation whilst watching this movie and the time passes all-too-quickly. There are a number of actors here who deserve much more high profile airings and I look forward to following their careers with interest.