Meurtres en direct

24 July 2013. This uneven, obviously low-budgeted, all star cast political black drama is a difficult movie to assess because it depends strongly on what criteria one uses to judge a movie. From a current political messaging drama, it is uncanny in its authenticity even more than 30 years later. It remains relevant in terms of how oil and America's intelligence agency, the Presidency, and media manipulation all combine to echo what is happening in the world of 2013.

However in terms of special effects the movie presents some of the worst, obviously made up explosions and physical destruction resembling what might have been standard fare for cheap live action cartoons on Saturday mornings 30 years ago. The movie is overly ambitious, not well balanced tone-wise, sometimes presenting itself as a serious political drama and then at other times a light witty comedy, but overall the movie presents an uncertain directorial handling.

The old all star cast was fun to watch, the storyline somehow managed to hang together. Yet the unevenness and tone were more successfully handled in John Cusack's political drama in War, Inc. (2008).