4 Star

The Power of a Photograph.

Director Roger Spottiswoode brings us his third cinema release and one of Nick Nolte‘s (49Hrs, Another 48Hrs, Lorenzo’s Oil) finest roles as determined photo journalist Russell Pearce. Roger Spottiswoode went on to do some of our favourite films of the 1990’s (Turner & Hooch, Air America, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Tomorrow Never Dies). Set in 1979 when small wars flare up from the Heart of Africa to the long running, mostly ignored by the press, war of Nicaragua which has been burning for fifty years.

Chad Africa 1979 and rebels take on the government from the back of elephants and on foot but this is no defence against a helicopter with rockets. As the missiles explode and elephants trumpet, there is the sound of a cameras motorised shutter clicking and history is captured in black and white. (It doesn’t show the blood up). The man responsible for all these photos is Russell Price (Nick Nolte). Price jumps into a troop truck as they  head down the road, when an American voice calls out his name, it’s Oates (Ed Harris, The Truman Show, Appaloosa) who is pro-government and finds himself shacked up with a bunch of revolutionaries, but Price won’t say any thing. Oates tell Price that Nicaragua is the place to be as the rebels there are making headway against the dictator President Anastasio “Tacho” Somoza (René Enríquez, Harry and Tonto).

“I love Africa!”

Also in Africa are Claire Sheridan (Joanna Cassidy, Blade Runner, The Package) and Alex Grazier (Gene Hackman, The French Connection, Unforgiven, Behind Enemy Lines) a long term on and off couple, they are both journalists but Alex has his sights set on being an anchorman for a big station back in the states. Alex gave Price his first job and his second job after he fired him.

“Alex, there’s fascist and there’s fascist. Let’s not use words like that, OK?”

He and the others take Oates’ advice and head to South America and Nicaragua where Somoza has the support of ‘Jimmy Carter’s’ administration in putting down the rebels lead by the elusive Rafael (Jorge Zepeda, Collateral Damage).

With the C.I.A. controlling the spin for Samoza in the guise of agent Hub Kittle (Richard Masur, The Thing, Risky Business) and the French spy Marcel Jazy (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Cover Up) in the mix any thing could go down as Price vows to find Rafael.

“I like you people, but you are sentimental sh*ts! 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.”

Nolte follows up his popular role in 48Hrs with this gritty thriller and he shines through the grime of a war torn Nicaragua.

Under Fire is available on Blu-ray.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

Stunning 1080p presentation on Blu-ray
Uncompressed LPCM 2.0 audio
Optional English SDH subtitles
Audio Commentary with director Roger Spottiswoode, Assistant Editor Paul Seydor and Photo-Journalist Matthew Naythons, and Film Historian Nick Redman
Audio Commentary with Music Mixer-Producer Bruce Botnick, Music Editor Kenny Hal and Film Historians Jeff Bond, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman
Joanna Cassidy Remembers Under Fire [3 mins]
Original Theatrical Trailer
Limited Edition Collectors booklet featuring new writing by author Scott Harrison [2000 copies only]