As three bomb-toting Muslim fundamentalists hold the citizens of a London restaurant hostage, the revelation that one of the terrorists has been researching a little-known Russian explosive known as "Red Mercury" promos authorities to handle the situation with extreme caution in director
Roy Battersby's topical thriller. An informer has revealed that a trio of terrorists has been lying in hiding in the English capitol, and when chases breaks out the three bombers storm into a popular Greek restaurant and hold the frightened diners hostage. The perpetrators are Mushtaq (
Alex Caan), Asif (
Navin Chowdhry), and Shahid (
San Shella). As the Gold Commander (
Pete Postlethwaite) and counterterrorism expert Sofia Warburton (
Juliet Stevenson) do their best to assess the situation from the outside, restaurant owner Penelope (
Stockard Channing) and a pair of quick-thinking customers that includes American lawyer Sidney Lowe (
Ron Silver) and author Neil Ashton (
David Bradley) do their best to keep the heads cool on the inside. Later, when the authorities discover that the three terrorists are well-educated British citizens who were likely recruited by fundamentalists during their studies, Sofia finds that they have also come into possession with an extremely volatile Russian-produced explosive. With time quickly running as tempers begin to flare, the desperate counterterrorism expert contacts her ex-husband Lindsay (
Nigel Terry) - a one-time mole whose inside information may prove vital in saving countless lives - in a last ditch attempt to resolve the situation peacefully. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide