Rating: 
Summary: Familiar Truths Told Well
Review: Those with a cursory acquaintance with the history of government repression of leftist movements will recognize many familiar truths told in this account of the life and murder of Gregorious Lambrakis, a doctor and leftist humanist.
In the movie Lambrakis develops quite a following by articulating quite sensible policies like government budgets shouldn't sacrifice the basic needs of people in order to benefit powerful elites through lucrative defense contracts and that sovereign nations do need to choose sides in the rivalries among superpowers. Since Lambrakis' message threatens the very foundations of power and privilege, the authorities, as usual, falsely label the movement communist.
After Lambrakis delivers a speech, he is murdered by members of a nationalistic right-wing reaction group that, it turns out, the police often employ for the purposes of "crowd control." Systems of authority utilizing the forces of reaction are a standard practice to quell justice movements.
One maverick judge (who functions like a prosecutor, investigator and judge) discovers the plot to assassinate Lambrakis extends to persons quite high in the government's hierarchy, although he is frequently encouraged to declare the murder an accident. Heads begin to roll, but since the trials and convictions threaten the very foundations of power and privilege and portend an electoral victory for the leftists during the next election, the military throws a coup and the judge, witnesses against the defendants and many of Lambrakis' supporters die from a rash of well-timed "accidents" after the coup.
The movie portrays well how authoritarian powers, although using the discourse of "democracy," protect themselves at any cost and will transmute into right-wing dictatorships if threatened with collapse.
Rating:
Summary: Sharp, Fast Paced Thriller
Review: Watching Z reminds the viewer of a train wreck. Facts, acting, storyline, plot, and intrigue are all thrown together into one strange conglomerate of film. Miraculously, when the dust settles, this wreck of a movie is one of the best political thrillers ever made.Z chronicles the turmoil of Greek politics in the 1960's. The Cold War was at its peak, with Vietnam on Europe's mind. The communists and other assorted leftists were becoming increasingly powerful, leading to an energetic response by the military and police. The event that Z spotlights is the assassination of a leftist political dynamo, played very well by Yves Montand. The tension on the street, the simmering violence and official misconduct are all portrayed in Z. The feel and aura of a dangerously fractured Mediterranean nation are explosive and will not be ignored. The movie reveals itself to the viewer at a rapid pace. The best role in this movie belongs to Jean-Louis Trintignant, who portrays the Examining Manistrate. It's his job to finalize the report concerning the assassination, which the Greek military police deem an "accident". The Magistrate does not except this conclusion, especially after consulting with the doctors who have examined the body. His investigation proceeds at a whip lash pace, as he ignores threats and favors thrown his way in order to assure his collusion. The trail of evidence quickly begins to trail upward, to the top of the Greek government. For that ride, we meet many dynamic characters and are treated to some real exciting police work. It doesn't exactly keep you guessing, the guilty parties are fairly obvious, but Z is a taut political thriller that delivers. My one qualm with Z is the lack of a total picture concerning the situation. Z focuses on the crimes of the right while ignoring any responsibility on the part of the left. Glossed over is the Soviet supported communist uprising that occurred soon after World War II ended, a very brutal civil conflict that has polarized the nation ever since. Z could have been a bit more powerful if it showed that no side on the political spectrum had clean hands, that the solutions to the nations problems were a lot less cut and dry.
Rating:
Summary: Sharp, Fast Paced Thriller
Review: Watching Z reminds the viewer of a train wreck. Facts, acting, storyline, plot, and intrigue are all thrown together into one strange conglomerate of film. Miraculously, when the dust settles, this wreck of a movie is one of the best political thrillers ever made. Z chronicles the turmoil of Greek politics in the 1960's. The Cold War was at its peak, with Vietnam on Europe's mind. The communists and other assorted leftists were becoming increasingly powerful, leading to an energetic response by the military and police. The event that Z spotlights is the assassination of a leftist political dynamo, played very well by Yves Montand. The tension on the street, the simmering violence and official misconduct are all portrayed in Z. The feel and aura of a dangerously fractured Mediterranean nation are explosive and will not be ignored. The movie reveals itself to the viewer at a rapid pace. The best role in this movie belongs to Jean-Louis Trintignant, who portrays the Examining Manistrate. It's his job to finalize the report concerning the assassination, which the Greek military police deem an "accident". The Magistrate does not except this conclusion, especially after consulting with the doctors who have examined the body. His investigation proceeds at a whip lash pace, as he ignores threats and favors thrown his way in order to assure his collusion. The trail of evidence quickly begins to trail upward, to the top of the Greek government. For that ride, we meet many dynamic characters and are treated to some real exciting police work. It doesn't exactly keep you guessing, the guilty parties are fairly obvious, but Z is a taut political thriller that delivers. My one qualm with Z is the lack of a total picture concerning the situation. Z focuses on the crimes of the right while ignoring any responsibility on the part of the left. Glossed over is the Soviet supported communist uprising that occurred soon after World War II ended, a very brutal civil conflict that has polarized the nation ever since. Z could have been a bit more powerful if it showed that no side on the political spectrum had clean hands, that the solutions to the nations problems were a lot less cut and dry.
Rating: 
Summary: Costa Gavras in his best achievement!
Review: Yves Montand plays the role of a leader of a peace movement . Suddenly he will be the fatal victim .
Product of this murderer Trigtinant will be the government investigator . The plot is incredible , and like a huge web , it goes expanding showing in all its merciless nakenness the sordid and corrupt atmosphere in the militar governement .
Based on a real fact 1963 , this film literally opened a gate and became in a powerful motive for next extraordinary works in that age as The Mattei affair , Investigation of a citizen above suspicion among the most remarkable issues.
Pitifully the movie still maintains its powerful message.
Awarded as best foreign film in 1969 . A classic.
Rating:
Summary: Frustration
Review: Yves Montand's character is murdered in front of several hundred people and most of the film is spent watching the judge trying to get to the bottom of it. One is left wondering where the honest judge came from in that country and why he and those who came forward weren't just bumped off also. In the end I felt unsatisfied and frustrated which seems to be Costa-Gavras's trademark. I liked "Missing" and "The Music Box" more and I recall seeing a film called "State of Siege" years ago that I also liked, though apparently it's currently unavailable on video for some reason.
Rating:
Summary: Costa-Gavras' Masterpiece
Review: Z is a political thriller with few action scenes,none of the "thrills" associated with conevntional thrillers. The Murder takes place fairly early on,and it is obvious who is respnosible. The thrill is in the dogged investigation by an incorruptible magistrate{interesting comparison to Stones's JFK},which leads to the highest seats of government. Based on a terrific novel by Vassilis Vassilikos{and an excellent screenplay by Jorge Semprun},this tells the story of the murder of the Greek parliamentarian and doctor Gregory Lambrakis.That it was a political assasination is obvious,though the complicity is so multilayered that it appears that the truth will never come out. Yves Montand is ,as usual, excellent as Lambrakis [referred to as Z throughout the film.Z comes from the Greek verb zei, HE LIVES} Irene Pappas is his suffering wife{and widow}. Costa-Gavras travelled this territory often, {the Confession, Missing} though not with this brilliance. The editing is crsip,leading to the sense of breathlessness among the defendents. I will leave the ending to the viewer.This is probably the best political thriller that I have ever seen, and 31 years later,is till excellent,if not brilliant
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