Good films about politics are rare. Films which successfully combine politics and a love story are even rarer. "Under Fire" manages this triumphantly.
Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy give superlative performances as the trio of journalists caught up in the passion and excitement of the 1979 Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. That wonderful photographer John Alcott catches some magical images and Jerry Goldsmith composes a score so good you will want to seek out the album.
This is a film full of moments that will live in your memory, not least the shocking, tragic consequence of Nolte's willingness to assist the rebels. It brings home the chaos and confusion of war but also its moments of elation : "I'd do it again", says Nolte at the triumphant conclusion. Before that, the spy Jazy, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant, an urbane, cultured but completely amoral killer, tells us that we will only know the truth of what happened in Nicaragua once 20 years have passed.
Well, those 20 years are now behind us. The right side won. And this film, with its eloquent photography and soaring soundtrack, may turn even the most apolitical person into a Sandinista.
Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy give superlative performances as the trio of journalists caught up in the passion and excitement of the 1979 Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. That wonderful photographer John Alcott catches some magical images and Jerry Goldsmith composes a score so good you will want to seek out the album.
This is a film full of moments that will live in your memory, not least the shocking, tragic consequence of Nolte's willingness to assist the rebels. It brings home the chaos and confusion of war but also its moments of elation : "I'd do it again", says Nolte at the triumphant conclusion. Before that, the spy Jazy, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant, an urbane, cultured but completely amoral killer, tells us that we will only know the truth of what happened in Nicaragua once 20 years have passed.
Well, those 20 years are now behind us. The right side won. And this film, with its eloquent photography and soaring soundtrack, may turn even the most apolitical person into a Sandinista.