Eminent Domain (1990)

A high-ranking Polish politburo member is banished from the party, and must find out why. Set in 1979 Poland before the Solidarity events.

Director:

John Irvin

Writers:

Richard Greggson, Andrzej Krakowski (story)

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Anne Archer, Paul Freeman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sutherland	...	Josef Borski
Anne Archer	...	Mira Borski
Paul Freeman	...	Ben
Anthony Bate	...	Kowal
Jodhi May	...	Ewa
Pip Torrens	...	Anton
Françoise Michaud	...	Nicole
Yves Beneyton	...	Roger
Denis Fouqueray	...	Dr. Marwicz (as Denys Fouqueray)
Bernard Hepton	...	Slovak
Jan Peszek
Tadeusz Bradecki
Marcin Tronski
Joanna Jedryka
Krystyna Froelich

Storyline

A high-ranking Polish politburo member is banished from the party, and must find out why. Set in 1979 Poland before the Solidarity events.

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Plot Keywords:

poland | warsaw poland | bugging | cold war | 1970s | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

France Israel Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

La guerre des nerfs

Filming Locations:

Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland

Box Office

Gross:

$151,098 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arama Entertainment, SVS Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the closing credits, the events depicted in this film were based on actual occurrences, with only the names of the major participants being changed. It was filmed on location in Gdansk and Warsaw.

User Reviews

I'm out

This is the third film I've watched in recent memory(The Girl from Petrovka and Gotcha!) set behind the iron curtain, and it is by far the one that feels the least like a piece of propaganda(it is also the only of the three that was released after the wall fell). In fact, it feels like a pretty realistic depiction. I haven't watched anything else by this director nor by either writer. This was apparently based on real events, and it feels rather authentic. It is genuinely fairly engaging, it builds tension nicely, and the suspense is great. The twist at the end definitely surprised me, and worked immensely well with what had happened up to that point. Sutherland is excellent as always, and Archer(who I've only been exposed to in the two Jack Ryan films she was in) is marvelous, as well. May, however... I think it would be more appropriate to call what she does "reading her lines", as it just does not qualify as "acting". Unfortunately, she's pretty heavily featured in spite of that. The rest of the performances are varied. Few even attempt to pull off a Russian accent. The characters are fine, and you do sympathize to Josef's situation. There is some strong language and a little violence in this. I recommend this to fans of exciting thrillers with a bit of a spy-flavor to them. 6/10