The War Zone (1999)

Director:

Tim Roth

Writers:

Alexander Stuart (novel)
Alexander Stuart (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 June 1999 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret.

Plot Keywords:

Family Secret | Teen | Pregnancy | Undressing | Anal Rape

Awards:

9 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Ray Winstone	...	Dad
Lara Belmont	...	Jessie
Freddie Cunliffe	...	Tom
Tilda Swinton	...	Mum
Colin Farrell	...	Nick (as Colin J. Farrell)
Aisling O'Sullivan	...	Carol
Kate Ashfield	...	Lucy
Megan Thorp	...	Baby Alice
Kim Wall	...	Barman
Annabelle Apsion	...	Nurse

Also Known As:

Tim Roth's The War Zone (USA) (poster title)
Zona di guerra (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, some involving molestation, and for nudity, language and a scene of violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Italy | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hartland, Devon, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

A newly updated and fully revised 20th Anniversary Edition of The War Zone (novel) was published in 2009, including both the original British and American opening chapters, an Afterword by Tim Roth and a Diary of the Making of the Film by Alexander Stuart.

An Excellent Find

I have seen many powerful films in my life, but few compare to the off-beat, unsettling and totally uncompromising 'War Zone', actor turned director Tim Roth's first film. Many people despised it for being so raunchy, straight-forward and too realistic, while others praised it for that very same reason. 'The War Zone' is a very hard-to-watch film because it portrays incest -- such a terrible and disgusting event going on in some families today. I was repulsed by the film's haunting and brooding score, but I have to say I was amazed also. 'The War Zone' is a brilliant film and an incredible first effort from Tim Roth.

'The War Zone' follows an isolated British family living in the lush green hills somewhere in England. The family consists of a dad (Ray Winstone - Sexy Beast), a mum (Tilda Swinton - The Deep End), a baby (Megan Thorp), a in-her-late-teens daughter (Lara Belmont) and a in-his-younger-teens son (Freddie Cunliffe) who's perspective the film is shot from. Everything seems to be going so excellent for this new family with the new baby and all, until one day the son sees something he's not supposed to -- the dad molesting the daughter. This tears this seemingly happy family apart and it comes to a huge, yucky boil at the end of the feature.

'The War Zone' moves a little slow towards the beginning but in a way that it is it's only flaw. Tim Roth does a semi-amateurish but mostly consistent job directing while Alexander Stuart provides an incredible screenplay that should have picked up an Oscar nomination. The cast is astounding with a powerhouse lead performance from Ray Winstone that proves him to be perhaps one of the finest British actors working in film today. Tilda Swinton is excellent for the limited screen time her character as 'mum' has, while the movie in a way belongs to the kids. Freddie Cunliffe is extraordinary in his role, while newcomer Lara Belmont is spellbinding in every scene and never ceases to bring emotion out of the viewer. Supposedly she was working at 'Burger King' before she did the film. I think it's safe to say she won't be working there anymore. The camera-work is really low-budget and the DVD frustrated me because it had no subtitles.

All in all, Tim Roth's 'The War Zone' is an amazing motion picture but a crappy DVD. The poorly-formatted DVD is worth buying just because of the awesome quality of the movie itself. If you love and appreciate film and think you have a strong enough stomach for this one, be sure to do a 100-meter dash to the videostore and snag a copy of 'The War Zone'. Grade: A-