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Under Fire

  • 19831983
  • RR
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
8K
YOUR RATING
Under Fire (1983)
Home Video Trailer from MGM
Play trailer2:57
1 Video
58 Photos
DramaWar
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
8K
YOUR RATING
    • Roger Spottiswoode
    • Ron Shelton(screenplay by)
    • Clayton Frohman(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Nick Nolte
    • Ed Harris
    • Gene Hackman
    • Roger Spottiswoode
    • Ron Shelton(screenplay by)
    • Clayton Frohman(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Nick Nolte
    • Ed Harris
    • Gene Hackman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 46User reviews
    • 43Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Under Fire
    Trailer 2:57
    Watch Under Fire

    Photos58

    Under Fire (1983)
    Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, and Nick Nolte in Under Fire (1983)
    Gene Hackman in Under Fire (1983)
    Nick Nolte in Under Fire (1983)
    Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy in Under Fire (1983)
    Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy in Under Fire (1983)
    Gene Hackman in Under Fire (1983)
    Joanna Cassidy in Under Fire (1983)
    Nick Nolte in Under Fire (1983)
    Nick Nolte in Under Fire (1983)
    Nick Nolte in Under Fire (1983)
    Ed Harris in Under Fire (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nick Nolte
    Nick Nolte
    • Russell Price
    Ed Harris
    Ed Harris
    • Oates
    Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman
    • Alex Grazier
    Joanna Cassidy
    Joanna Cassidy
    • Claire
    Alma Martinez
    Alma Martinez
    • Isela
    Holly Palance
    Holly Palance
    • Journalist
    Ella Laboriel
    • Nightclub Singer
    Jonathan Zarzosa
    • Jazz Combo: Piano
    Samuel Zarzosa
    • Jazz Combo: Drums
    Raul Picasso
    • Jazz Combo: Bass
    Oswaldo Doria
    • Boy Photographer
    Fernando Elizondo
    • Businessman
    Hamilton Camp
    Hamilton Camp
    • Regis Seydor
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Jazy
    Richard Masur
    Richard Masur
    • Hub Kittle
    Jorge Santoyo
    • Guerilla Leader
    Lucina Rojas
    • Guerilla Woman
    Raúl García
    • Waiter
      • Roger Spottiswoode
      • Ron Shelton(screenplay by)
      • Clayton Frohman(screenplay by) (story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie was made and released about four years after the events of the Nicaraguan revolution depicted in the film occurred in 1979. American reporter Bill Stewart was killed by Nicaraguan soldiers at that time.
    • Goofs
      In the opening scene in Chad Asian elephants are used by the rebel troops (instead of African elephants living in that area, who are not especially known for their suitability for domestication) clearly identifiable by their smaller ears and the hair on their forehead.
    • Quotes

      Marcel Jazy: I like you people, but you are sentimental shits! You fall in love with the poets; the poets fall in love with the Marxists; the Marxists fall in love with themselves. The country falls in love with the rhetoric, and in the end we are stuck with tyrants.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Dick Tracy/Torn Apart/Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Dear John
      Composed and Performed by Pat Metheny

      Published by Pat-Meth Music Co. BMI

    User reviews46

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    The American focus takes a lot away from the story
    Nicaragua 1979 sees the rebel uprising reaching a peak and causing an inflow of foreign journalists including photojournalist Russell Price and Claire. As the conflict rages around them Russell and Claire fall in love, despite her relationship with anchorman Alex Grazier.

    My plot summary of this feels a little false - it makes it sound like a romantic drama rather than a political drama. However it's closer to that than it is to being a look at the conflict in Nicaragua. The story made me think it would be a look at the conflict, but rather this is a look at the conflict through the eyes of foreigners including CIA and journalists. It's still interesting - but would have been better looking at it from the rebel's point of view - but then I guess the American audience wouldn't have been interested. The focus on the US stars makes this a drama with the war as a backdrop, this takes away from the impact of the conflict onscreen.

    One of the last scenes of the films has an elderly lady talking to Claire following the death of an American journalist at the hands of the Government. Due to this death the USA has thrown their support behind the rebels and the Government has fallen. The lady essentially says that "50,000 Nicaraguans have died but it took only one American death to convince the US of the true nature of the Government here - we should have killed one a long time ago" (rough quote!). This is a good point, made in criticism of the USA's foreign policy and how they value lives of different nationalities. However this criticism can also be levelled at the film itself - it focuses on the Americans more than the Nicaraguans, the American characters are more important than the Nicaraguan characters - you can't have it both ways, you can't criticise someone else for something you're guilty of. The story is still interesting but it's so USA focused that it almost forgets the main players in the story (the rebels & the Government) and relegates them to bit parts.

    Nolte is good in the lead, but I thought Joanna Cassidy was a bit outclassed by the rest of the cast. Hackman is good as always but had very little to do. Ed Harris is good, but again his character was the only soldier really given a character or a story (and of course, he's an American mercenary).

    Overall an interesting story but the main point of the film (as voiced by the elderly lady) is also a criticism of the film itself. I wanted to know more about the conflict but instead knew more about the love triangle - a political drama that manages to cheapen the very political war that it sought to highlight.
    helpful•9
    4
    • bob the moo
    • Dec 18, 2001

    FAQ5

    • How true is this story?
    • What was the impact of the murder?
    • What happened to the soldier who killed him and why did he do it?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 21, 1983 (United States)
      • United States
      • Mexico
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Chiapas, Mexico
    • Production companies
      • Cinema '84
      • Lion's Gate Films
      • Under Fire Associates
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 8 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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