Z (2009)

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Several of my favorite films were directed by Greek-French film director Costa-Gavras. Z, State Of Siege, Missing, and the Confession. The mixing of the thriller genre and universal political themes not only makes for very interesting films but also thought provoking ones.His first serious film was Z. A film that won Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. It follows an idealistic judge investigating the killing of left wing politician. A fatal club strikes said politician and a cover up story of a drunk driver emerges. The film appears to end on a positive ending however at the very end those about to be criminally charged seize power. This ending the result of frustration related to the US-backed coup in Greece.State of Siege was based on Costa-Gavras's and Franco Solinas (The Battle of Algiers Screenwriter) investigation into Daniel A. Mitrone. Mitrone was kidnapped and eventually executed by Tupamaros urban guerrillas in Uruguay. Costa-Gavras read news headlines that changed his description from Official to Policeman to Diplomat. Why would the Tupamaros be interested in an "traffic and communications" adviser?This movie has a similar outline as Z as both were meant to be frustrating critically commentary of events at the time. The actions look pointless but there are no alternative choices apparent. The urban guerrillas will continue to fight,the government will continue to use US taught torture methods, and US companies will continue to exploit the country.

Almost 5 decades later, 'Z', Costa-Gavras' glimpse into the machinations of political violence, intolerance, willful ignorance, and systemic oppression has lost none of its urgent relevance. It continues to remain a one-of-a-kind political thriller, where the 'political' takes precedence over the 'thriller' but still never loses its grip on the audience.Based on tumultuous, barely-disguised events (the opening caption brazenly trumpets: "Any resemblance to real events, to persons living or dead, is not accidental. It is DELIBERATE") involving the murder of leftist politician Grigoris Lambrakis in early 1960s Greece, Z galvanized audiences worldwide. The story here however, unfolds in an unnamed country where the power is in the hands of a military dictatorship. The government though officially a democracy, has become infected by fascist ideals. The government secretly uses right-wing hooligans to stir up trouble and eliminate 'enemies of the state'. This has led to the so-called political slippery slope whose end point can be anything from fascism to a dictatorship. A pacifist firebrand, Zei (Yves Montand), arrives from abroad to lead a peace rally, provoking a riot and an assassination. In the aftermath of this unrest, a young judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is appointed by the state to hear the assassins' case, with the assumption that he'll buckle under pressure from the regime (especially the General played by Pierre Dux who clearly played a role in the assassination), to make Zei's death look like an accident. Instead, the judge is unexpectedly resolute about finding out the truth and slowly amasses evidence that proves otherwise. The flames are further fanned by an enterprising journalist (played by Jacques Perrin) who knows a good story and is able to identify many of the accomplices. Z is disquieting not only because the events actually happened, but because we sense they could happen again, closer to home. Using the investigation as the film's narrative backbone, Costa-Gavras takes us through the dizzying - at times infuriating, at times almost surreal - process of ferreting out the truth in a politically charged cover-up that, despite its historical specificity, is a powerful celluloid indictment of the general abuse of power that comes under any form of fascism. A treatise on politics that's also a tightly woven pulp thriller, with lissome, restless camera-work, staccato editing and a zither-driven score, Z makes political intelligence seem swankier than a tuxedo. Z is a thrilling, compelling run through with vivid supporting characters and narrative twists and turns that have the dramatic punch of fiction even when based on real events. In its slick cinematic urgency and its outrage, Z still has the power to shake you up.

You can get the synopsis and summary, and a lot of good reviews here in IMDb... For someone unfamiliar with Z - this is perhaps the best political intrigue film ever done. Taut, fast moving, exciting... It is a period piece in that it celebrates the height of the image of the investigative photographer as a romantic figure, with a serious role to play. Trintignant portrays the honorable civil servant as an even more unlikely hero in the present- respecting the law and enforcing it in the face of intimidation.As far as its relevance in 2014: Don't get hung up on the fact that it mirrors real life events from the 60's. Think about the concerns today about who has the power, what personal information is available to governments - even the US - and government-contracted - intelligence experts. Consider, too, how public opinion is manipulated. Finally consider how much of this process is conducted out of sight of the press or public. Chilling.

This is a great movie. I have watched this movie a few times and have enjoyed it on each viewing. it tells the story of the return of a progressive politician to a totalitarian state with a corrupt police force. His return is to deliver a speech in the lead up to general elections. The movie shows the steps which the government and the police will go to try and firstly stop him from delivering a speech and secondly from trying to silence him permanently.The main reason I like this movie is because the characters are so well developed and original. There are no clichés in this movie when it comes to any of the characters. Even somewhat minor characters have strange little personality traits, which distinguish them from the run of the mill supporting cast. For example, the witness who decides to come forward to the police turns out to be quite a complex character when one discovers his motivations are coming forward.The only person that seems a bit wasted in this movie is Irene Papas , who virtually says nothing through the whole movie. Indeed she does little more than make a succession of intense facial expressions throughout the movie. Despite the heavy themes that this movie is seeking to explore, there is also quite a lot of humour. I particularly liked the scenes which showed the desperate attempts by a succession of police officers attempting to escape the media through a locked door.