The film version of Gorky Park was released in 1983. Directed by Michael Apted, produced by Gene Kirkwood and Howard W. Koch, Jr. and with a screenplay written by Dennis Potter, it featured William Hurt in the role of Arkady Renko and Lee Marvin as the villainous John Osborne. Among the supporting cast were Joanna Pakula, Brian Dennehy, and Ian Bannen. Most reviewers found it an entertaining and enjoyably fast-paced movie, although several also commented upon its failure to fill in the flavorful Soviet social context that constituted one of the book's major strengths. Despite a strong performance by star attraction Hurt — who was widely praised for the subtlety of his characterization of Arkady Renko — the film enjoyed only moderate success at the box office.