Z Movie Review

Z (1969)

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Written by: Vasilis Vasilikos (novel), Jorge Semprun 
Directed by: Costa-Gavras
Starring: Yves Montand , Irene Papas , Jean-Louis Trintignant
Rated: --
Watch the trailer

Plot
When a Greek politician dies, the state rules it an accident, but the autopsy rules it murder. It's up the investigating magistrate to determine what happened.

Verdict
The mystery isn't who did what, but how high the cover up goes and it it will be revealed. Flashbacks are woven into the narrative seamlessly, no two people seeing the same thing. Any witnesses that corroborate the murder claim suffer swift 'accidents.'  It's a tense thriller that recounts actual events. It's a subtitled foreign film, and I feel like I need to watch it again to better understand it.
It depends.

Review
This political thriller is set in Greece. A pacifist group attempting to hold a rally is attacked. The group is expected to win the next election and the police state in power oppose them. The calls for peace beget violence from the police state. The police state hires goons to attack the politician, though they make it look like a car hit the politician. How can those that wish for peace triumph against  open violence?

The film slips in and out of small memories that bolster the characters. It depicts simple actions like a phone ringing or even an embrace triggering painful memories.
We see from the start that the ruling party ordered the attack and is now covering it up, though the investigator is unaware. The investigator catches a break when the hospital autopsy reveals the politician was murdered. Witnesses that step forward are attacked.

Z - A political thriller based on actual events.

The ruling party deems anyone that opposes them an enemy and a communist. The investigator is able to indict military officers, but will the truth be revealed?
The ending is not happy. Weeks before the election the military seizes control and exonerates their men, among other atrocities.

The movie had far reaching consequences. Those that worked on it were black listed. Even FBI director J. Edgar Hoover stated that anyone who watched the film wasn't a true American.
I don't know if it's the presentation or the subtitles, but it wasn't as exciting as I hoped it would be. While the movie at large was a big deal, I felt removed from the action