Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Vonia Z (1969) "Any similarity to real persons and events is not coincidental. It is intentional. And so the story begins." I love that this is displayed on screen at the beginning of the film. The letter Z, which means "He Lives", in Greek. A historically and politically significant film that was released at the most opportune time, political unrest in Mexico City, Martin Luther King, the election of Nixon, the Vietnam War. Costa-Gravas made extra character select a composer, Theodorakis, that would provide the perfect Greek soundtrack. Based on the 1963 assassination of left wing Greek Parliament member Gregory Lambrakis, as in the film, it inspired and evoked citizens enough to have in banned for a while. Appreciated the ending. Costa-Gavras did not take the easy way out. The last scene shows the inspiring Deputy's widow looking skeptical of the supposed success of the examining magistrate's indictments. Sure enough, truthfully documenting governmental corruption, the epilogue tells how all he is mysteriously removed from the case, and all the others involved in the prosecutor side die accidentally, are deported or incarcerated. The corrupt officials receive merely slaps on the wrist. Alas, the truth hurts. But the film manages to end on a positive note, with moving music and an explanation for the film's title. "He Lives"! Notably, the only film to date nominated by The Academy for both Best Picture & Best Foreign Language Film. It won in the latter category. Wonderful musical score. Costa-Gavras masterfully tailors in the perfect balance of intensity and suspense. A subtle thriller, with the protagonist a mysterious fighter, hiding behind his glasses, his partner photojournalist hiding behind his lens. We might never really get to know these characters in the details of their everyday lives, but we feel we know what constitutes their characters, what beliefs and values they fiercely adhere to, and ultimately what makes them the individuals they are. I am not usually into political thrillers, but this one is an exception. Well done, Costa-Gavras. #FilmReview

SnoopyStyle The country is under the control of a right-wing militaristic government. Deputy (Yves Montand) leads a peace rally to end militarism, nuclear weapons and foreign alliances. The rally is opposed by an angry mob while the police stands by. Another deputy is brutally attacked by a gang of pro-military thugs after being mistaken for the leader. The leader is later mortally wounded by the same thugs. The police and the military attempt to hide the evidence and slam the opposition. A magistrate is brought in to investigate the case. He's misled and pressured by the powerful. The thugs try to hide. Nevertheless the magistrate doggedly follow the evidence.The start is a little slow as it paints the picture of the country. Then fifteen minutes in, the movie hits like a club to the head. The government thugs are seething with anger. The thugs are played to the sleaziest ugliest depths. That crowd is filled with a threatening sense of dread that is all too real. The whole incident crashes and boils uncontrollably. The investigation afterwards is compelling. There are some ups and downs. The style does have some slower moments. However it also has great insightful moments. Those moments are all the more compelling coming during that turbulent year.

steve-623-15461 I won't add anything regarding the films story as loads of other reviewers have done a better job than I could.All I will say is this film to me is designed like a funnel: From the start you have intense threads of action and discussion/consequences that slowly gather together and compress until the film is focused, charging towards the finish.Acting is fantastic - this film has a nervous energy and authenticity that is hard to match.When you watch it you realize you are not only seeing a great film, but also reliving an important slice of history.

Boba_Fett1138 This is a truly exceptional and special movie, in about every way imaginable.The style, the story, the acting, the directing approach by Costa-Gavras and way of storytelling. It's all what makes this movie a great watch and perhaps also atypical for a French production, of its time.The overall style of the movie is what you could describe as a typical '70's style. The same goes for its approach and way of storytelling. The thing that we now consider to be a typical '70's style is a style that already started first out in the late '60's, which this movie is also a part of. It's a political movie, which might sound very boring to some but trust me, this is a far from boring movie. It's far too fast going and captivating for that. The entire movie also feels so extremely realistic, that it made me wonder if it got based on true events, which actually turned out to be the case. It's based on a Greek incident, were a democratic politician got attacked and murdered, by right-wing extremists, after giving an anti-war speech. The same thing happens in this movie and is what the entire movie is centered around.The movie doesn't necessarily have one main character, which was an interesting and unusual choice, that however worked out very well for the movie, as it turned out. Instead of just following one character, it follows a whole bunch of them, each involved with the incident. The one is trying to investigate, the other is trying to cover it up, while another is trying to avoid getting caught and another and simply suffering from the consequences of the incident. It shows the events leading up to the incident and afterward, from many different angles, which gives the movie of course a lot of depth and multiple layers and is also part of the reason why this movie gets such a great and intriguing one to watch.Something that is also really worth mentioning and helps to make the movie, is its musical score by Mikis Theodorakis!An absolute must-see, at the very least for every movie lover!9/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/