Directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina (2014); Men (2022); 28 Days Later (2002)) and starring Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man (2002); The Power of the Dog (2021); Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004); Bring It On (2000)), Wagner Moura (Elite Squad (2007); The Gray Man (2022); Narcos (tv series, 2015-2016)), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla (2023); Mare of Easttown (tv series, 2021)) and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences (2016); Lady Bird (2017); Dune: Part 1 (2021)).
Action adventure; 109 minutes; 16+
Set in America in a dystopian future, the US President is in power for a third term and America's armed forces fighting a civil war against rebel factions, instigated by rebelling states including both Texas and California which have seceded from the union, with the Carolinas also expected to follow shortly.
Lee (Kirsten Dunst) is a renowned war photographer who, together with journalist Joel (Wagner Moura) is planning to drive 1,200+ km to Washington DC with the aim of interviewing the President. Along come rookie photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) who aspires to become a war reporter, and elder statesman journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson).
Together, they race against time to reach the White House; however, the route there is fraught with danger with law and order having broken down.
A taut, nerve-racking anti-war statement, and - at times - quite graphic showing the horrors of war, with one side hell-bent on destroying the other without regard for human life. It also shows one town at which they stop along the way apparently trying to live a normal existence only, upon close inspection, to be on high alert should the danger turn up on their doorstep.
It also demonstrates the risks at which war reporters go to get a story so that they can report what is happening on the front line, and war photographers putting their bodies on the line, quite literally, for that ultimate photo that will portray the horrors of war, including the psychological and emotional impacts on those involved up close.
Intense, with a gripping soundtrack and sterling performances by all four playing the journalists and photographers travelling together, with well-worked character development that brings the personalities to life when their back-stories are revealed.
Currently screening at Kinepolis and CiNextDoor in Luxembourg.
