Cook review: ‘Civil War’ is more about journalists than politics
“Civil War” probably isn’t the kind of movie you think it is.
It’s about journalists trying to do their jobs during a civil war instead of being a war movie featuring journalists.
This fictional tale does make reference to the rising polarization of politics in the United States and the all-too-real politically motivated violence that brews in current times. But mostly it’s a story about a world-weary journalist named Lee (played wonderfully by Kirsten Dunst) who is part of a team of journalists following the action to Washington DC, with the aim to get there before the President himself is slain by rebel soldiers.
Nick Offerman plays the President, and we see him preparing a speech as chaos erupts throughout the nation.
Elsewhere, a group of four reporters includes Lee, who has made a name for herself as a topnotch reporter; and Cailee Spaeny as Jessie, a younger, less experienced reporter who looks up to Lee as a mentor and an example of what she wants to become in the future.
Stephen McKinley Henderson – a terrific and too-little-seen character actor – is welcome as the oldest of the group who’s often the practical voice of reason.
It’s unnerving to see the violence and destruction the reporters are there to record: Masses of bodies, people being shot mercilessly in public, and bombings are commonplace as they make their way along a journey fraught with peril.
There are a couple of really intense scenes that will stay with you. One involves the group’s run-in with a violent man (Jesse Plemons) who has no problem killing anyone.
Although the movie examines violence, it really doesn’t examine the politics behind it or how the United States finds itself in such turmoil. More background would have made the film even more engaging.
Still, the ensemble is a good one, and it does present some thought-provoking themes for adult audiences with nerves steely enough to withstand the violence.
2 1/2 stars
Rated: R for violence, gore, and foul language.
Running time: One hour and 50 minutes.
In theaters.
Watch the trailer here.
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