Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie Review

There's shooting and then there's shooting.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 1, 2014

The waning days of the Carter administration are usually associated with that oft-quoted term “malaise” as well as the ongoing trauma with Iran and the American hostages who would not be freed until virtually the moment Carter handed the reins of power over to Ronald Reagan in January of 1981. But 1979 also saw another foreign “problem” for the United States as the long simmering dissatisfaction with the Somoza dictatorship which had run Nicaragua for decades finally boiled over into international chaos. Anastasio Somoza Debayle had previously been “President” (meaning dictator) of Nicaragua from 1967 to 1972, but had reassumed the position in 1974. Somoza almost immediately took on the long gestating insurrection led by the group known as the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, or Sandinistas for short. By 1979, Somoza’s ruthless tactics had brought his government to the brink of collapse, with numerous human rights violations being reported on a virtually daily basis. When an ABC News reporter was killed by Somoza operatives (an action which was actually caught on film by an ABC News photographer), Somoza’s already shaky house of cards began to finally falter and soon he and his government were ushered not just out of power but in many cases out of Nicaragua itself. Within a year Somoza would be assassinated in Paraguay by a team of Sandinistas. It’s against this general backdrop that Roger Spottiswoode’s riveting 1983 drama Under Fire plays out. While positing a gaggle of fictional characters into this “real life” setting, the film retains an air of authenticity that makes it a rare blending of history and imagination. 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 starts not in the fetid jungles of Nicaragua, but in war torn Chad in Africa, quickly introducing hot shot photographer Russell Price (Nick Nolte), who is busy taking pictures of a helicopter strafing various troops. He soon 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. That gives the film a kind of quixotic quest element that helps to easily position the characters in the midst of the roiling turmoil Nicaragua was suffering, and which similarly provides easy access to viewers’ understanding of the various issues involved.

Playing out against this basic setup are several subplots, including one involving the reappearance of Oates and another focusing on a shady if affable local operative named Marcel Jazy (Jean-Louis Trintignant). One of the most fascinating things about the screenplay by Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) and Clayton Frohman is how it rather cynically updates the notion of the glorious, heroic and honorable journalist, a trope that became popular in the wake of Watergate and All the President's Men. Here in Under Fire there may indeed be a baseline of honor that’s subscribed to, but these are after all adventurers who are in their own way mercenaries, chasing after the latest conflict in order to score a scoop, if not piles of cash.

That moral ambiguity plays front and center in the film’s climax, when Russell and Claire do indeed manage to track down Rafael, but Russell is then asked to fudge the facts in order to assist the rebels in what they see as their best chance to finally unseat Somoza. That in turn leads to the devastating development that is culled from the historical record vis a vis the ABC newsman. But even here Under Fire deals in shades of gray. While Claire weeps from news footage documenting the event, a Nicaraguan woman offers a jaundiced opinion about tens of thousands of Nicaraguans having been slaughtered for decades while nobody cared. Now that an American news reporter has joined their ranks, suddenly everyone (or at least the Americans) is up in arms. It’s a chilling moment that may strike especially close to home to those who have followed the uproar that has expanded in the wake of the horrifying murder of several journalists in the ISIS rampage.

While Hackman and Cassidy do fine work in roles that are relatively generic, Under Fire offers one of the most dynamic performances by Nolte, who manages to bring both athleticism and a perhaps surprising amount of intellect to his characterization. It’s may be too on the nose to assume that it's no mere coincidence that Nolte's character’s surname is Price, but one way or the other that term turns out to be an apt descriptor of a well intended but conflicted soul. He’s willing to traffic in the horrors of war for a paycheck, but he also finds out the time ultimately comes when everyone has to pay the piper.

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Under Fire is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Culled from the Orion Pictures catalog (back when Lionsgate was Lion's Gate), Under Fire looks largely stellar in high definition, sourced from elements in very good condition without much even in the way of age related wear and tear worth mentioning. Under Fire was lensed by legendary cinematographer John Alcott (Stanley Kubricks' go to guy for films like Barry Lyndon and A Clockwork Orange) who manages to invest the film with a kind of quasi-verité ambience that makes the most of the ravaged, often rubble strewn, streets where Russell and Claire witness the horrors of the Nicaraguan conflict. There is some slightly variable sharpness and clarity in evidence throughout the presentation, as seen in some relatively soft looking outdoor moments that were probably second unit sequences, but overall this transfer boasts a very organic and pleasing appearance. Close-ups can reveal abundant detail and fine detail (see screenshot 1), and colors look accurate given an understanding that much of the film tends to exploit a kind of dusty brown and beige palette. Ironically, this tends to make individual elements of bright color, like a translator's vivid orangish dress, pop even more dramatically (see screenshot 11). Grain is managed very effectively, and contrast is generally very strong, though some shrouded moments late in the film don't provide a wealth of detail. There are no problematic issues with over aggressive digital tweaking, and fans of Under Fire should be very well pleased with the look of this transfer.

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Under Fire's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio 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 

• Isolated Score (and Effects) Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary with Director Roger Spottiswoode, Assistant Editor Paul Seydor and Photojournalist Matthew Naythons is moderated by Nick Redman and provides a wealth of background information on the film.


• Audio Commentary with Music Mixer-Producer Bruce Botnick and Music Editor Kenny Hall is jointly moderated by Redman and Julie Kirgo. Botnick is a legend in Los Angeles music circles (check some of your albums and/or CDs and chances are you'll see his name, especially if you're a fan of The Doors) and this is a great commentary for lovers of Jerry Goldsmith's score and film music in general.


• Joanna Cassidy Remembers Under Fire (1080p; 3:06) is a brief sit down with the co-star of the film.


• Excerpts from the Matthew Naythons Photo Archive (1080p)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (480i; 2:57)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)

Under Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Under Fire is an unusually provocative account of some of the rigors faced by journalists when they cover a devastating story like the one that unfolded in Nicaragua. The political element is actually probably less riveting than Russell's crisis of conscience, and it's that aspect that delivers the film's most convincing emotional element. Extremely well directed by Spottiswoode, Under Fire may be even more relevant in today's war torn world than it was back in 1983. Technical merits are very strong, and Under Fire comes Highly recommended.