Rating: 
Summary: Berenger's own favourite
Review: A truly underrated film concerning white supremacy. Winger plays an FBI agent sent to investigate Berenger's character and find out if he had anything to do with a radio talkshow host getting killed. Costa-Gavras's political opinions shine here but the drama is also powerful. Winger has a real dilemma when she doesn't only fall for Berenger, but also his two children. I recommend this film, has good performances all around. Berenger himself has said that this is his favourite film.
Rating:
Summary: Berenger's own favourite
Review: A truly underrated film concerning white supremacy. Winger plays an FBI agent sent to investigate Berenger's character and find out if he had anything to do with a radio talkshow host getting killed. Costa-Gavras's political opinions shine here but the drama is also powerful. Winger has a real dilemma when she doesn't only fall for Berenger, but also his two children. I recommend this film, has good performances all around. Berenger himself has said that this is his favourite film.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping film from start to finish. Excellent characters!
Review: Another 5 star vote for this film, and well deserved it is.The artistry in this film is evident, the plot is gripping from beginning to end. I was pleased to see so many familiar faces in the cast: Betsy Blair, (a 1955 Oscar Nominee for "Marty"), "Frasier" dad John Mahoney, John Heard, and character actor Ted Levine ("Silence of the Lambs") all are here, and all do a wonderful job. (John Mahoney is especially excellent, in a chilling but affable way.) The plot unfolds slowly at first, with only faint hints of what is to come. (Actually, the less you know about this film going in, the more you will be surprised by it.) The "wholesome" farm community which seems so "normal" holds so much more--something troubling and sinister. But yet, these people still retain that "wholesome" normalness to them, even after we see what is underneath. The "normalness" never completely goes away, and in some cases, we still are actually able to sympathize with these characters, as depraved as they are. As a previous reviewer said, the "insanity of normality". "Betrayed" depicts this well. The whole cast is wonderful--Winger is compelling and convincing, as is the rest of the cast. The characterization (and acting) of Tom Berenger as the "insane/normal" Gary should be applauded particularly. All through the film his character is consistent--a man with a "normal" ability to love those close to him. Even when see how his motivations and world view are so completely warped, we see a Gary who feels deeply, loves, and wants many the "normal" things in life. These qualities do not disappear when the darker side of him is revealed, which makes his character all the more fascinating and even sympathetic at times. The "insanity of normality" is most evident in his character. Great film score by Bill Conti--understated at times, but effective. All-in-all, a fantastic film. A must-see.
Rating:
Summary: Brave story about the insanity of normality.
Review: Both 'Missing' and 'The Music Box' are somewhat better movies, but this one is the only one of the three available on DVD and so this review is a way of honouring all three films. Less obvious in 'Missing' and more obvious in 'The Music Box' all these three film are nevertheless about the insanity of normality, or, if you like, about how shared responsibility is no responsibility at all. The people doing all these horrible things against other human beings, who happen to be different in their appearance, are all people who share normality with each other, including cosy picnics and whatnot. They have families, apparantly 'love' their children, if 'loving' is the same as sharing normal madness. The film explains why 'upright US citizens' could do what they did in Song Mi with other people who happened to be different in their appearance. It explains the cosy nazi in Germany during WW2. It explains why all normality and custom which isn't questioned and only obediently performed, in order to be able to pursue a career of some kind, is most immoral and deadly indeed. It explains the madness of 'ways of life' and 'ordinary people', who, like Edison once said, 'seem to invent every excuse possible in order to avoid the pale cast of thought'. Costa-Gavras seems to be one of these rare people, who really meant what they said during the sixties. That he has been able to do these films is really amazing - haven't heared much from him lately though - gotten too old or having lost backers or what? What's 'betrayed' in this film is individual responsibility and rebellion against every kind of authority based on persons and unquestioned, customary 'ways of life'. It's a movie that takes a stand for reasoning and for not obeying anyting but the superior argument for the clearest of axiom, which is: "No man has the right to rule over another man. Only the superior argumentation has the right to rule over the argumentation which is inferior."
Rating: 
Summary: Misguided
Review: Debra Winger is a fine-looking woman in the best shape of her life in this film, so no objections there, but this movie lacks intelligence. Groups on the political fringe may have open recruitment, but when it comes to the inner circle they tend to be highly secretive. Do you think a criminal mastermind would take his new girlfriend to a Klannish manhunt on the second date? Later on they openly discuss a nation-wide plague of terror on this man's front porch--RIGHT! When it comes to drama I prefer some semblance of the truth, but like most Hollwyood films, this movie butchers reality like it's going out of style.
Rating:
Summary: Not a dull moment in this movie !
Review: I am so glad that Leonard Malton's poor review didn't keep me from purchasing this movie. I loved it. It will keep you on the edge of your seat at all times. Although the subject matter is a difficult one, it is something that exists and I thought the movie did a good job of telling the story of a female FBI agent (Debra Winger) who infiltrates a white supremacist group to investigate a murder. It's too bad this movie didn't get better reviews by the critics. I found it to be better than most ! Excellent acting and directing, well worth it !
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: It is an absolute pleasure to see how highly rated this film is. When it was first released, "Betrayed" received strongly mixed reviews -- everyone praised the sterling performances but most critics found this story of white supremacists planning on starting a guerrila warfare against the U.S. government wildly implausible. Oh, how little they knew! Here we are, after Oklahoma City and Ruby Ridge, truly evaluating this film for its prophetic theme. Don't miss this one, folks. It's brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: It is an absolute pleasure to see how highly rated this film is. When it was first released, "Betrayed" received strongly mixed reviews -- everyone praised the sterling performances but most critics found this story of white supremacists planning on starting a guerrila warfare against the U.S. government wildly implausible. Oh, how little they knew! Here we are, after Oklahoma City and Ruby Ridge, truly evaluating this film for its prophetic theme. Don't miss this one, folks. It's brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: It is an absolute pleasure to see how highly rated this film is. When it was first released, "Betrayed" received strongly mixed reviews -- everyone praised the sterling performances but most critics found this story of white supremacists planning on starting a guerrila warfare against the U.S. government wildly implausible. Oh, how little they knew! Here we are, after Oklahoma City and Ruby Ridge, truly evaluating this film for its prophetic theme. Don't miss this one, folks. It's brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Loosely based on true sory
Review: This movie is actually based on a group form the Pacific Northwest known as the "Bruders Schwiegen",or in English-Silent Brotherhood led by Robert Jay Matthews(Berenger's character).As the movie is competent it could have been much better if it had more closely followed the real story.This is the type of movie that Oliver Stone could make an absolute blockbuster out of if it were followed to fruition,similiar to docu/movie style as JFK.
|
