|
|
Rate This Movie |
Endgame
Rate It:
Total votes: 268
Average Rating: 3
|
|
Year: 2009
Genre: Drama
Trailer: Trailer 1
Director: Pete Travis
Cast: William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jonny Lee Miller, Mark Strong, Derek Jacobi
The fall of a corrupt political regime can begin with something as simple as a conversation; such is the lesson offered by Endgame, a talky but frequently compelling UK TV production that benefits from a strong cast led by William Hurt. The conversation in question is the end of apartheid in South Africa circa 1985, and the two sides are the African National Congress, as represented by its director of information, Thabo Mbeki (the always-appealing Chiwetel Ejiofor), and the growing anti-apartheid movement among white Afrikaners, including Dr. Will Esterhuyse (William Hurt). Bringing them together is Michael Young (Jonny Lee Miller), the public affairs chief of a Brit firm with regional holdings that require political stability to flourish. Much of the film's drama centers on the verbal sparring between Ejiofor and Hurt, though a secondary set of conversations, between imprisoned civil rights leader Nelson Mandela (the marvelous Clarke Peters from The Wire and Damages) and government intelligence man Dr. Niel Barnard (Mark Strong, Sherlock Holmes), delivers more ominous overtones. Director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) attempts to goose the suspense to hyperbolic levels with rapid-fire edits and camera angles meant to suggest documentary-style coverage, but these only distract from the film's chief virtue: its performances, and particularly those of Hurt (which earned a Satellite Award nomination) and Ejiofor (which garnered a Golden Globe nod). Those who prefer their TV dramas on a more intimate scale will appreciate the craftsmanship of the work here; the DVD includes interviews with Travis, Hurt, Miller, writer Paula Milne, and producer David Aukin.
Source: Paul Gaita (Amazon.com)
User Comments:
Add A Comment:
|
