Posted by A nuke is about to hit America and we see the fallout. An apocalyptic tale on a small scale, we focus on the governmental response and how it affects people. Sons saying goodbye to mothers, fathers to daughters, the future nuptials and children never to be. The frantic search for answers and certainty, who fired what and why. As well as the desperate quest for a response; do they hit back hard or wait and see. Do we punish them or avoid mutually assured destruction?
Kathryn Bigelow, the woman behind the taut, war based and politically charged thrillers The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, directs this nerve jangling drama that brings back memories of WarGames. This is not a big summer blockbuster, apart from one missile being launched and a fighter jet, we see no fights, shooting or world ending explosions. Instead we are in situation rooms with various government officials as they grapple with the enormity of what is happening. Cold war paranoia looms large, as we see politicians, the armed forces and government agencies have philosophical and tactical debates. The gut wrenching tension is slowly but surely built up to a dizzying degree but the only downside is the ending. Although I understand the reasons behind it it felt flat and an anti climax. Not forgetting the classic Hollywood thing of America being the only show in town – everyone else getting relegated to a map or satellite image.
It stars a huge ensemble cast with stellar performances all round. The ones that really stick out are Rebecca Ferguson’s (Mission Impossible) Captain Olivia Walker, she is in charge of the situation room and she swings from determination and hope to fear and desolation. Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), is cracking as the secretary of defence Reid Baker, who barely conceals his incredulity and annoyance. Although we do not see him till the second half of the film, Idris Elba is an exhausted U.S president with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is one of few people that have played the British Prime Minister and the American President, in the same year to boot.
An intense political thriller with a massive cast that, despite the lack of Michael Bay type spectacle, gets its hooks in you quick and does not let go.
8/10
Lofty Music and Film 