La Guerre des nerfs

Excellent cold war era movie with loads of political intrigue, Donald Sutherland is a high ranking member of the Polish Politburo who is to his astonishment exiled from his high ranking position and lifestyle, almost overnight.

Sutherland is so much acting the role of a stodgy politician that it's a bit much. Too, Anne Archer's fragile mental stability. Jodhi May as the daughter is overwrought and makes inexplicable hand motions. These aren't bad actors. Someone should have demanded less strained performances of them. Still, the story moves along nicely with plenty of intrigue. Any fan of behind-the-Iron- Curtain suspense stories will probably enjoy this well enough.

This movie is obviously inspired by the book of Job in the Bible, written by Gord. In the book, Job is cast down and abandoned by Gord for no reason but to test/confirm his loyalty and Gord's absolute power. As in Job, Donald Sutherland's character passes the test and is restored to his former position and prosperity. A good movie, but remember that that the screenplay was adapted from Gord's famous Book. This movie is obviously inspired by the book of Job in the Bible, written by Gord. In the book, Job is cast down and abandoned by Gord for no reason but to test/confirm his loyalty and Gord's absolute power. As in Job, Donald Sutherland's character passes the test and is restored to his former position and prosperity. A good movie, but remember that that the screenplay was adapted from Gord's famous Book.

This is the third film I've watched in recent memory(The Girl from Petrovka and Gotcha!) set behind the iron curtain, and it is by far the one that feels the least like a piece of propaganda(it is also the only of the three that was released after the wall fell). In fact, it feels like a pretty realistic depiction. I haven't watched anything else by this director nor by either writer. This was apparently based on real events, and it feels rather authentic. It is genuinely fairly engaging, it builds tension nicely, and the suspense is great. The twist at the end definitely surprised me, and worked immensely well with what had happened up to that point. Sutherland is excellent as always, and Archer(who I've only been exposed to in the two Jack Ryan films she was in) is marvelous, as well. May, however... I think it would be more appropriate to call what she does "reading her lines", as it just does not qualify as "acting". Unfortunately, she's pretty heavily featured in spite of that. The rest of the performances are varied. Few even attempt to pull off a Russian accent. The characters are fine, and you do sympathize to Josef's situation. There is some strong language and a little violence in this. I recommend this to fans of exciting thrillers with a bit of a spy-flavor to them. 6/10

1979 Communist Poland; Donald Sutherland's high ranking official suddenly finds himself without priviledge and no explanation as to why. Nothing and no one is safe in his world. His friends no longer want to be seen with him, his special needs daughter (Jodhi May) is removed from her Geneva school and returned to Poland over night, his wife (Anne Archer) endures an emotional breakdown under the duress, as he finds himself in impossible circumstances at every turn. This film works in showing the subversive wickedness of Communism - how in theory it is government for the masses but in reality it may deny individuals any and all rights on a lark. But the pacing is not always sure of itself and the performances range from even handed (Sutherland) to overwrought (Archer). Worth a look.