7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nicaragua 1979: Star photographer Russel Price covers the civil war against president Somoza. Facing the cruel fighting - people versus army - it's often hard for him to stay neutral. When the Guerillas have him take a picture of the leader Rafael, who's believed to be dead, he gets drawn into the happenings. Together with his reporter friends Claire and Alex he has to hide from the army.
Starring: Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Richard MasurWar | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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 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'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 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.
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