A camping trip turns sinister as agent Cathy Weaver (Debra Winger) infiltrates a dangerous white supremacist network in Costa Gavras' gripping thriller Betrayed. Tom Berenger stated in an interview that out of all his films, this one was his favorite. It's arguable lest we forget he was in Inception too. The critics couldn't come to a conclusion whether or not this film reflected a conflict between Hollywood and the customary left-wing intentions of its director Costa Gavras. It is never easy to reduce two or more angles to a concise and drastic facet. This is not documentary, it's fiction, but a question is raised: is the American Heartland racialist in general? Is the timeless relevance of the film rather obscure? It portrays the upright, affectionate farmer and war veteran as a racist murderer and terrorist. It goes far beyond comparable roles & characters in the American cinema at large. Anyway, Berenger and lovely Debra Winger provide high-level performance. The rest of the cast, the camerawork, and an uncompromised dramatic composition complete a film that, if is not quite the concerned masterpiece Costa Gavras intended to produce, is still very much interesting.
Betrayed
(1988)
Betrayal... But against America, her Hinterland or a particular person?
25 November 2019