State of Siege

How easily should one dismiss political potboilers? Z caused a lot of stir, with its topical subject and excellent performance from Trintignant; its audience was large, its message clear. State of Siege betrays its later date in the laboured difficulty of its subject: Tupamaro guerillas vs the CIA. It's the more courageous film, but far less 'successful', simply unable to contain the subject of terrorism within a basically thriller format. Both films sacrifice analysis and integrity in favour of popular polemic and an exploitative format, but then both films told the truth before it became 'true'; well worth seeing, if only to wonder what similar films could be made on Ulster or any of the other 'forgotten' aspects of British democracy in action.