This movie is nothing if not audacious, when you come to think about it. I mean, it's trying to channel a "Killing Fields" atmo along with a Gable/Tracey/Lombard type love triangle involving three cynical journalists. It fails, of course, but still you've got to admire the attempt. Why does it fail? For the obvious reason that an audience that's expecting Sam Waterston and Dith Pran will be sorely disappointed by the very Hollywood firm of Gene Hackman, Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy, cameras, and note pads slung over and inside stylish cargo pants and safari jackets, while someone wanting a more light hearted, Ben Hechty treatment of foreign correspondents in love and war will find the Graham Greenish moral breast beatings of the three newspeople, as I did, somewhat off putting, (although Cassidy's cleavage is certainly impressive). Actually, the most interesting character in the film is Ed Harris' Universal Mercenary, a personage who seems like he stepped out of Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, and Money". Sure wish he'd been in the film more although, if he had, then you'd have THREE movies this film was trying to meld together, the last being "Dark Of The Sun". And that's too many ingredients by one, mate. Give it a B minus. PS...Strange how major league baseball teams with bird logos play such a large role in this movie, huh? You've got not only the expected Dennis Martinez allusion, since the film is set in Nicaragua, but for some weird reason the most morally reprehensible character in it is named after the Cards pitching coach, Hub Kittle. (Did ol Hub somehow manage to piss off co writer Ron Shelton, a former minor leaguer? I may google it. Then again, maybe not).
Review of Under Fire
