![The War Zone [1999]](https://preview.redd.it/5qq1sfie9gwg1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=e1bb0890923ea1e8b112088f91ec5ef80eaf54c7)
The War Zone [1999]
Director: Tim Roth.
Starring: Ray Winstone, Tilda Swinton, Lara Belmont, Freddie Cunliffe, and Colin Farrell.
Premise: A seemingly normal family (dad, pregnant mom, teenage daughter, and teenage son) move from London to rural Devon. The family appears to be happy and tight knit, but following a car accident, things seem to get…uncomfortable.
Moody, fifteen year old Tom stumbles upon a secret about his family, a secret that forces him into a precarious position as his parents await the birth of their next child and his sister develops a relationship with a local (Farrell). The more Tom digs, the more disturbing things he discovers about his family.
Pros: The cast plays their roles well; Winstone and Swinton are very good as portraying the parents and Belmont and Cunliffe effectively navigate the sensitive subject matter. The movie does not pull any punches; it will be upfront with you and will not sugarcoat anything.
Cons: You will only want watch this movie once. Unless you are really jaded, you will only watch it once. This is NOT a repeat viewing film. In fact, you may want a stiff drink and a shower after watching this.
Assessment: This is a difficult film to watch. Apparently one of the camera operators broke down crying a particular scene and some people walked out of this film during its premiere; Roth had to speak to them about what made them leave. The thing about this film is that it is purposefully uncomfortable. Roth allegedly had something serious happen to him in his life that influenced his direction. Winstone had some serious words for Roth about a certain scene in the film.
You see, the film isn’t afraid to go places; if you think the family’s situation is bad, it gets worse; if you think it doesn’t get real bad, it does; if you think it won’t go there, it will-then it goes beyond. I commend the cast and crew for their dedication, but this is probably a one and done for most viewers.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10.