Under Fire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie Review

"The first casualty of war is the truth..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 7, 2025

Sandpiper Pictures has released a Blu-ray edition of Under Fire, which stars Nick Nolte, Ed Harris, Joanna Cassidy, Gene Hackman and Alex Grazier. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (48 Hrs., Turner & Hooch) with a screenplay by Ron Shelton and Clayton Frohman, the wartime drama tells the story of a pair of news correspondents chronicling the final days of the corrupt Samoza Regime in Nicaragua who find themselves under fire from both sides.

"Forget the Pope, Charlie. You got the Pope someplace every week. There's a big story down here, because it's the first sign of fighting in Managua... Get a map, Charlie. Look up Nicaragua. Drive to New Orleans, and then you turn "left"... Oh, like hell I'm editorializing. Look, the whole thing happened in a room full of press and CIA... How do I know they were CIA? Because they wore name tags, what do you think? Look, we're backing a fascist government again, I know that's not exactly news, but see if you can find an angle, huh?"

Under Fire starts not in the fetid jungles of Nicaragua, but in wartorn Chad in Africa, quickly introducing hot shot photographer Russell Price (Nick Nolte). He meets up with mysterious mercenary Oates (Ed Harris), who tells Price about a "better war" in Nicaragua. Already there's an intentional line drawn between those who fight for money and a ragtag coterie of professional journalists who are assumed, perhaps incorrectly, to have a higher moral standard. Later at a party, the film introduces the two other focal characters, Time reporter Alex Grazier, who's just accepted a lucrative New York City broadcast anchor position, and his girlfriend, radio newswoman Claire (Joanna Cassidy), who seems to be not especially regretful that her decision to stay behind and not follow Alex to the Big Apple means at least the temporary end to their romance. The film then quickly segues to Nicaragua, where incipient freedom fighters are attempting to overcome the superiority in numbers and equipment that the still dominant (if teetering) Somoza regime maintains. When Alex finally takes off for greener pastures, Russell and Claire begin to develop romantic feelings for each other, even as events continue to spiral further out of control. Russell soon becomes intent on finding and photographing the engimatic rebel leader Rafael, whom no one has ever taken a picture of before.

Click here to read the rest of Jeffrey Kauffman's review of the film, which he says "retains an air of authenticity that makes it a rare blending of history and imagination." Adding, "filled with viscerally exciting performances from a large and able cast, Under Fire manages to not just detail the rather convoluted (and to American audiences, probably arcane) machinations of Nicaraguan politics of the time, but to also peer into tangential issues like the morality of the press covering those politics."

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Print specks is all you'll find to complain about with this excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded beauty of a catalog transfer. It's hard to imagine Under Fire looking any better than it does here. Colors are warm and natural, skin tones are lovely and lifelike, black levels deep and satisfying, primaries pop... you name it. Contrast leveling is dialed in perfectly, as is color saturation. Delineation is revealing, even when Oates is crouching in the heavy shadows of a military transport or Russell is moving from building to building to get an ideal shot. Likewise, detail is near flawless. There are a few slight instances of haloing, but other than that, edges are crisp and cleanly defined, fine textures litter every surface, bare skin is populated by pores, freckles and light hair, and every last nuance seems to be showcased. The only way it could improve is with a full remaster and a native 4K presentation. Moreover, banding, blocking and other irritations are MIA. High marks for Under Fire's video transfer.

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sandpiper's release of Under Fire sports the same DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix as its 2014 Twilight Time predecessor, of which Kauffman writes, "it ably supports Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar nominated score (which features 'guest star' Pat Metheny) and the film's dialogue and battle sequence sound effects. There's pleasing if not overwhelming punch to the low end in the fighting scenes, and the mix benefits from good prioritization, with dialogue anchored front and center. There are no issues with damage or dropouts, and fidelity is excellent throughout the track."

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only extra included with Sandpiper's release of Under Fire is the film's theatrical trailer. The 2014 Twilight Time Limited Edition release included an audio commentary, isolated score track, featurettes and more.

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Listen, Russell, let's grow up. It's very easy to fall in love with the underdog, but there's an upside and a downside to this thing. I just want to remind you, all this stuff about a "revolution of poets" is crap."

Under Fire remains a particularly pointed and powerful indictment of poorly conceived interference in foreign conflicts and, much like 2024's Civil War, uses embedded journalists and photographers to tell its story. The performances are excellent and the story gripping. This is Nolte at his best. Sandpiper's Blu-ray release is a solid one too, with terrific video and strong audio. There aren't any supplements -- always a shame -- but the movie is so good it makes it that much easier to overlook such oversights.