Under Fire (1983)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

Clayton Frohman (screenplay)
Clayton Frohman (story)

Release Date:

21 October 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

This wasn't their war but it was their story...and they wouldn't let it go!

Plot:

Three journalists in a romantic triangle are involved in political intrigue during the last days of the corrupt Somozoa regime in Nicaragua before it falls to a popular revolution in 1979.

Plot Keywords:

Nicaragua | Journalist | Photographer | Revolution | Civil War

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Russell Price
Ed Harris	...	Oates
Gene Hackman	...	Alex Grazier
Joanna Cassidy	...	Claire
Alma Martínez	...	Isela
Holly Palance	...	Journalist
Ella Laboriel	...	Nightclub Singer
Samuel Zarzosa	...	Jazz Combo: drums
Jonathan Zarzosa	...	Jazz Combo: piano
Raul Picasso	...	Jazz Combo: bass
Oswaldo Doria	...	Boy Photographer
Fernando Elizondo	...	Businessman
Hamilton Camp	...	Regis Seydor
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Marcel Jazy
Richard Masur	...	Hub Kittle

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Chiapas, Mexico

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: when a man is thrown off an elephant in the beginning of the film

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the beginning, when Price is given a lift from the soldiers (Oates is among them), the shadow of the whole crew is cast on the scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Russell Price: Can I get a ride?

Soundtrack:

The Sandinista hymn

Not a documentary

If you want a documentary about the Sandinista's, go watch a documentary. If you want a thrilling love-story set around a fast-paced, intelligent script about people who want to do the best they can under difficult circumstances, then this is the film for you. Good acting, superb music, a good use of locations and atmospheres. This must be one of Nolte's best performances. Of course Rafael did not exist, but this is a movie, not a portrayal of real facts. The story works perfectly in this movie, and that is what's important. If you're looking for a flick that entertains, touches you without being too sentimental, and you like some action, then Under Fire is certainly worth seeing.