Under Fire

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Under Fire

R

Released Oct 21, 1983

2h 8m

Drama

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A pair of news correspondents chronicling the final days of the corrupt Samoza Regime in Nicaragua find themselves under fire from both sides. After an American news reporter is killed in Nicaragua, two of his fellow journalists choose to participate actively in the revolution. As the Samoza power base falls, they face dilemmas concerning their relationship with each other and their loss of professional objectivity.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Spottiswoode doesn’t have the wild, low cunning that the great scenes in Peckinpah’s films have -- he doesn’t spook us. But he does everything short of that. In its sheer intelligence and craft this is a brilliant movie.

Sep 13, 2023

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Variety Staff

Variety

Director Roger Spottiswode, after a couple of earlier actioners, has great potential.

Mar 26, 2009

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

A thrilling film, with a head, a heart, and muscle.

Jun 24, 2006

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Anyone who (like me) is a sucker for '80s political thrillers set in troubled foreign lands will find this a must-watch, in the same class as The Killing Fields, Missing, Salvador, and The Year of Living Dangerously.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 5, 2022

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Octavi Marti

El Pais (Spain)

Under Fire manages to transcend its fate to be an honest reflection about the gaze and point of view. [Full Review in Spanish]

Sep 25, 2019

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

An incendiary film that transforms the pipe-dream assumption that Americans only intervene to do good into a pipe bomb. The less-interesting love triangle is a delivery system for a blunt, effective observation: War's only objective truth is death.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 24, 2019

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Alan g

Nick Nolte is terrible.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/13/24

Full Review

Munkhchimeg T

One of my favourite movie which shows the crucial point. Highly recommended

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

Full Review

Geke g

A lot of meaning in this movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

Full Review

Bahad j

I am very happy that the movie shows us the steps and choices that are necessary in the life of a great person. I like the movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

Full Review

mice

A pivotal movie for me. Coming out of the shadows of Nixon-Reaganite parents, and listening to NPR radio back in the early 80s, this brought home the war in Nicaragua. Along with The Year of Living Dangerously, it challenged the right wing narrative of the East/West proxy wars and presented the dangers of political parties and extremist ideologies of all stripes. This applies even to today with the proxy wars includig Ukraine, where both sides portray their motives as patriotic and existential but once you scratch the surface, there is a lot of ugly, bloodlust, money and personal power-grabbing. Typically I do not like historical fiction but these two movies somehow are as memorable as the Godfather, Rollerball and other classics. As always, follow the money and question everything. Always ask: what is their nature and what do they really want?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/22

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steve d

I don't think the script did it justice but the acting did.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Synopsis

A pair of news correspondents chronicling the final days of the corrupt Samoza Regime in Nicaragua find themselves under fire from both sides. After an American news reporter is killed in Nicaragua, two of his fellow journalists choose to participate actively in the revolution. As the Samoza power base falls, they face dilemmas concerning their relationship with each other and their loss of professional objectivity.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Producer: Jonathan T. Taplin
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Lions Gate Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2017
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Surround

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