News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Wednesday December 4th 2024

Movie Corner December 2018-January 2019

By HOWARD McQUITTER II

oldschoolmovies.wordpress.com

howardmcquitter68@gmail.com

“THE PRIVATE WAR” — The film is based on the 2012 article “Marie Colvin”'s Private War” in Vanity Fair by Marie Brenner. All wars are ugly, often scripted, and always deadly (especially for civilians and war correspondents).

Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) is a celebrated war correspondent who went to the most dangerous places on Earth to tell the world the truth about real-life suffering in war-torn countries such as Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya where the world can see rubble, dead bodies, wounded men, women and children, understaffed medical personnel. She wants people to see the indiscriminate horror bombs and bullets do to civilians ”“ elderly, women and children. 

Colvin”'s exterior is tough, but the running from blasts and bullets, accompanied by soldiers and other news correspondents and the sights of dead children, wailing women, armed police and brutal interrogations causes her nightmares. Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan) is a photographer who is a good friend of Colvin is almost always in the shadow of Colvin. Her Sunday Times editor Sean Ryan (Tom Hollander) often argues with her telling her certain situations are just too dangerous to be there. 

Colvin wears a patch on her left eye after a shell blinds her in Sri Lanka. As one of her friends tells her when she refuses to stay out of danger she”'s addicted to the cause. When she”'s away from the bombs Colvin smokes heavy and sips far too much liquor to be settled in her profession.

Whatever shortcoming “A Private War” may have, I highly recommend the film for the outstanding performance of Rosamund Pike. I am predicting she will land an Oscar nomination for Actress in a Leading Role. Believe me. She deserves one.

Cast: Rosamund Pike (Marie Colvin), Jamie Dorman (Paul Conroy), Tom Hollander (Sean Ryan), Stanley Tucci (Tony Shaw), Faye Marsay (Kate Richardson),, Nikki Amuka-Bird (Rita Williams), Corey Johnson (Norm Coburn), Alexandra Moen (Amy Bentham), Raad Rawi (Gaddafi), Hilton McRae (Adam Watkins), Jeremie  Laheurte (Remi Ochlik), Manoj Anand (Sri Lankan Hospital Patient), Michele Belgrand (Old Time Friend), Jesuthasan Anthonythasan(Tamilselvan), Natasha Jayetileke (Nurse). 

(R) Running time:109 minutes. 

Director: Matthew Heineman 

Written by Arash Amel

Cinematographer: Robert Richardson

Music by H. Scott Salinas

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