A Private War (2018)

One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontline of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless.

Director:

Matthew Heineman

Writers:

Arash Amel, Marie Brenner (based on the Vanity Fair article "Marie Colvin's Private War" by)

Stars:

Rosamund Pike, Alexandra Moen, Tom Hollander

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosamund Pike	...	Marie Colvin
Alexandra Moen	...	Zoe
Tom Hollander	...	Sean Ryan
Faye Marsay	...	Kate Richardson
Jesuthasan Antonythasan	...	Thamilselvan
Raman Srinivasan	...	Tamil Group Leader
Natasha Jayetileke	...	Sri Lankan Nurse
Nikki Amuka-Bird	...	Rita Williams
Amanda Drew	...	Amy Bentham
Hilton McRae	...	Adam Watkins
Fady Elsayed	...	Mourad
Tristan Tait	...	US Public Affairs Officer
Corey Johnson	...	Norm Coburn
Jamie Dornan	...	Paul Conroy
Greg Wise	...	Professor David Irens

Storyline

In a world where journalism is under attack, Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) is one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontlines of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless, while constantly testing the limits between bravery and bravado. After being hit by a grenade in Sri Lanka, she wears a distinctive eye patch and is still as comfortable sipping martinis with London's elite as she is confronting dictators. Colvin sacrifices loving relationships, and over time, her personal life starts to unravel as the trauma she's witnessed takes its toll. Yet, her mission to show the true cost of war leads her -- along with renowned war photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan) -- to embark on the most dangerous assignment of their lives in the besieged Syrian city of Homs.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | female full frontal nudity | hospital | post traumatic stress disorder | loss of eye | 

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Taglines:

She traveled to the most dangerous places on Earth, to risk her life for the truth.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent images, language throughout, and brief sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film premiered at TIFF in September 2018.

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Goofs

Colvin's smoking sometimes does not sync - holding, inhales, exhales.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Interviewer: Last question. Fifty years from now, some youngster's gonna pull this disc out of a box and maybe make a judgment about becoming a journalist. What would you want that youngster to know about Marie Colvin and about being a war correspondent?
Marie Colvin: Very difficult question. It's like writing, uh, your own obituary. I suppose to look back at it and say, you know, I cared enough to go to these places and write, in some way, something that would make, uh, someone else care as much about it as ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Graham Norton Show: Whoopi Goldberg/Harry Connick Jr./Rosamund Pike/Jamie Dornan/BTS (2018)

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Soundtracks

Danny Boy
Written by Frederick Edward Weatherly
Arranged & Performed by Nig Richards

User Reviews

War correspondent obsessed with being where the action is.

My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library.

Marie Colvin was a real 21st century war correspondent, an American journalist working for a British news agency. She seemingly had no fear, or if she did overcame it to seek out the hottest of the hot spots and when she could, interview dictators with very pointed questions.

Rosamund (pronounced "Rozz-mund") Pike is totally terrific as Marie Colvin, pirate's eye patch and all after she lost her left eye during a raid. Unless we have been in a cave the past 20 or so years we know all the stories, all the big battles, so this movie gives us nothing new there. What it gives us is a glimpse at a driven war correspondent.

The title is significant, "my private war" is a reference to what is going on inside Colvin, what drives her, what makes her put herself and her photographer in the middle of dangerous war zones? We don't quite get the answer clearly but that is what we should be focused on.

Good movie, Pike is very believable. The very end of the movie has a clip of the real Marie Colvin.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [UK] Official Site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Private War

Filming Locations:

Jordan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$60,491, 4 November 2018

Gross USA:

$1,633,208

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,915,207

Company Credits

Production Co:

Acacia Filmed Entertainment, Savvy Media Holdings, Thunder Road Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1