Post by edwarddubin0604 on Apr 13, 2024 20:15:27 GMT -5
I remember a 1984 movie called Red Dawn, a Reagan era movie about a group of a teenage resistance group fighting the Russians and a few years before that The ABC TV Miniseries Day After. There was also a short lived book series called TEEN about a group of young resistance fighters fighting a tyranical president who breaks away from America. Combine that with aspects from S.M. Stirling's Change novels and a pinch of Steve Jackson's Car Wars Game and you have Civil War. The movie starts with what looks like cities burning and lawlessness and protests that turns to rioting. The nation is split into separate breakaway nations. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two photo journalists played by Ellen Burstyn and David Moura. They are joined by both a veteran reporter played by Stephen McKinley Henderson and an aspiring teenage photojournalist named Jessie played by Cailie Spaenye. All Four begin a road trip across the war torn east coast where they encounter everyone from mean spirited and patriotic militia men, deranged gas station employees and everyone in between. If they aren't getting shot at or about to be executed they are trying to talk their way out of being killed while trying to get to Washington, D.C. to speak to the president...Yeah good luck with that. There are some fun scenes provided by two fun loving photo journalists Tony, played by Nelson Lee and Bohai, played by Evan Lai who are unfortunately disposable characters and are killed after fifteen minutes on the screen. Henderson also dies and when they finally reach the nation's capital which is also in chaos and on the verge to be taken by the Western Federations forces and the White House is under siege and every member of the staff and administration is armed including the president...Well there goes the talk with the president. I liked the performances by Ellen Burstyn and David Moura but the real scene stealers were Cailie Spaeyne and in their brief time Nelson Lee and Evan Lai. Civil War isn't bad as a road movie but there are some plot holes about presidential assassinations which doesn't occur and Jessie's back story isn't explained either. I liked Civil War but I wished the producers found a way to end the war but still it's enjoyable and I recommend this movie.