A Private War

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Tom Hollander, Stanley Tucci, Corey Johnson, Faye Marsay
Directed by: Matthew Heineman
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, War
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) is one of the most celebrated war correspondents in history. She travels to the most dangerous locations, risking her life to tell the world the truth.

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed Matthew Heineman's feature film directorial debut, A Private War. This film places war correspondent Marie Colvin in the spotlight and we're better for knowing her story. I was fascinated by this look into the women and men who visit the most dangerous places on the planet to report on atrocities and the casualties of war, risking their lives to report the truth or photograph the grisly events. The movie highlights how important these jobs are, as well as the personal sacrifices people like Colvin make to do this death-defying work.

By all accounts, Colvin was a remarkable human being. The courage and poise she showed under pressure, under the most extreme stress situations, is astonishing. She routinely risked her life to highlight the evils of war. As you might expect, this is depicted in vivid, intense detail. The scenes showing the reporting during wars were oftentimes riveting. You see her running through streets as bullets fly by, or hunkered down in buildings as rockets decimate the area. Heineman did a great job of portraying the dangerous events Colvin found herself in. That was obviously important to get right, and they accomplished it.

However, what really made this movie worthwhile was the personal toll it took on Colvin. That aspect of the film was so engaging. To some extent, she and others in this line of work become addicted to the danger, to the high of escaping death. And yet, many also struggle with post traumatic stress disorder. The emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual toll it takes to do this kind of work is nearly beyond comprehension. I love how this film explored the personal side. The Colvin here isn't an action heroine, but a woman struggling to hold it together while she does a job that could cost her her life nearly every day, yet is one she knows can change the world and many of the lives in it.

Another reason this movie works is because Rosamund Pike is incredible as Marie Colvin. Pike has always been an underappreciated talent. She's a great actress, but seems to always fly under the radar. Her performance here was remarkable, she truly transforms into this character. She's able to connect with the audience so you grow to understand and care about this character. The eye patch was a visual cue that Pike was diving deep into this role, but it's the quiet aspects of her performance that make the biggest difference. She plays her as a nearly incomprehensibly strong woman who is also fragile. She's intelligent and calculated, but reckless. Pike plays her with this wonderful world weariness that makes you feel awe for Colvin, but also wish you could buy her a beer and hear her stories. It's a great performance and I wish Pike has received an Academy Award nomination (the film was unfortunately shut out).

The supporting cast is good. Jamie Dornan was really impressive in his supporting role. I'm glad he is putting Christian Grey behind him, because he has a lot to offer as an actor. I suspect his biggest contributions may be in supporting roles like this. He absolutely adds to the film in big way. I'm also becoming quite the Tom Hollander fan. He was stunning in Bohemian Rhapsody, and he gives a strong performance here. I always love seeing Stanley Tucci, and he makes this movie better (like he does with literally every film he's in). As a whole, the cast is top notch.

This might not always be the easiest film to watch, but it's an important movie. It reminds us about the awful conflicts raging around the world that are too easy to ignore from the isolated and (relatively) safe United States. Marie Colvin lived a remarkable, unique life. I loved being able to learn about her story here. A Private War might not hit every note right, but it's a strong, worthwhile movie that I would unhesitatingly recommend.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



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