According to IMDb, this movie was released in the USA in November of 1986, but I honestly don't recall hearing about it. I was drawn to it on cable this past week because it was a thriller and had a good cast; it was not a disappointment, but also not a classic.
Gabriel Byrne holds the film together well as a journalist who ventures into dangerous waters whilst writing an expose of a supposedly corrupt politician (Ian Bannen). The supporting cast do a wonderful job, with a few observations: 1) Were some of Robbie Coltrane's scenes cut? His character comes and goes randomly. 2) Greta Scacchi doesn't really sizzle in this film as she has in others. 3) Even Oliver Ford Davies, who barely has a line, still impresses by his bureaucratic aura!
This is one of the few 80s electronic film scores that I've heard recently which hasn't totally driven me mad after 10 minutes. It falls more in line with Jarre's classic WITNESS score; unobtrusive but effective. The sets and locations are wonderful. But it's a little tiresome to find out that the "McGuffin" is all about sinister Americans with their nasty nukes. Is that the best the scriptwriter could do? When I heard the first American accent I knew the Yanks were in for another cinematic whipping. But all in all, a thriller worth watching, even though you may resent the abrupt, explosive ending.
Gabriel Byrne holds the film together well as a journalist who ventures into dangerous waters whilst writing an expose of a supposedly corrupt politician (Ian Bannen). The supporting cast do a wonderful job, with a few observations: 1) Were some of Robbie Coltrane's scenes cut? His character comes and goes randomly. 2) Greta Scacchi doesn't really sizzle in this film as she has in others. 3) Even Oliver Ford Davies, who barely has a line, still impresses by his bureaucratic aura!
This is one of the few 80s electronic film scores that I've heard recently which hasn't totally driven me mad after 10 minutes. It falls more in line with Jarre's classic WITNESS score; unobtrusive but effective. The sets and locations are wonderful. But it's a little tiresome to find out that the "McGuffin" is all about sinister Americans with their nasty nukes. Is that the best the scriptwriter could do? When I heard the first American accent I knew the Yanks were in for another cinematic whipping. But all in all, a thriller worth watching, even though you may resent the abrupt, explosive ending.