Director: Costa-Gravas
Z begins with what is probably a famous statement - "Any resemblance in this film to any persons, living or dead, is not accidental - it is INTENTIONAL." I don't really know if the events of Z are true, and it's been 45 years since they occurred. This is helpful, I think, to evaluate the film - I didn't see it from an idealogical standpoint, even though the film unquestionably takes a stand.
Where Z succeeds and a lesser movie could have failed is in its commitment to demonstrating self-interest at every turn - our heroes are not heroes, and our villains not fully villainous. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they did, and their reasons often are less airy than ideology. From a direction standpoint, there's also some brilliantly conceived camera shots; the filmmaker was able to restrain his anger enough to create audacious shots that are too rarely seen in American cinema.
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