Under Fire (1983)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

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 | Journalist | Photographer | Revolution | Civil War

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:

Revealing mistakes: In the dark room of the guerrilla base the rays of sunlight are cast in two different directions, probably to form an appropriate atmosphere, however it is not possible in natural conditions.

Quotes:

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

Soundtrack:

The Sandinista hymn

One of the best American films of the 80s

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.