Under Fire (1983)

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

Clayton Frohman (screenplay)
Clayton Frohman (story)

Release Date:

21 October 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

This wasn't their war but it was their story...and they wouldn't let it go!

Plot:

Three journalists in a romantic triangle are involved in political intrigue during the last days of the corrupt Somozoa regime in Nicaragua before it falls to a popular revolution in 1979.

Plot Keywords:

Nicaragua | Revolution | Journalist | Civil War | Photographer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Russell Price
Ed Harris	...	Oates
Gene Hackman	...	Alex Grazier
Joanna Cassidy	...	Claire
Alma Martinez	...	Isela (as Alma Martínez)
Holly Palance	...	Journalist
Ella Laboriel	...	Nightclub Singer
Samuel Zarzosa	...	Jazz Combo: drums
Jonathan Zarzosa	...	Jazz Combo: piano
Raul Picasso	...	Jazz Combo: bass
Oswaldo Doria	...	Boy Photographer
Fernando Elizondo	...	Businessman
Hamilton Camp	...	Regis Seydor
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Marcel Jazy
Richard Masur	...	Hub Kittle

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Chiapas, Mexico

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: when a man is thrown off an elephant in the beginning of the film

Goofs:

Continuity: When Claire and Russel drive to Leon, the position of the white rag at the car window changes several times.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Russell Price: Can I get a ride?

Soundtrack:

The Sandinista hymn

Gritty realism of life in revolutionary Central America.

This is Nick Nolte at his best in a first rate romantic thriller. Set in Nicaragua but filmed in Mexico, Under Fire captures the look and feel of revolutionary Central America, easily drawing the viewer into the horror of life under the Somosa puppet regime. If you liked "Under Fire" check-out "Salvador" or "Romero" for the same gritty realism -- these are 3-movies that cause one to think and to question.