STORYLINE:  President Reagan races against time to salvage a deal with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that could dismantle nuclear arsenals – or ignite disaster. With pressure mounting on all sides, every word spoken brings the world closer to peace or destruction.  (IMDb)

    In 2016, Michelle and Barack Obama started their courtship in Southside With You.  As President Lincoln, Daniel Day Lewis, paved the way for the passage of the 13th amendment in Limcoln (2012).  The cameras were turned on Nixon in Frost/Nixon (2008), and the JFK assassination was investigated in the 1991 thriller JFK.  Jeff Daniels steps into roll of Ronald Reagan, to negotiate nuclear disarm with Gorbachev in The Brink of War. 

   There is difficulty when it comes to talking head movies.  When I say, talking head movies, I mean movies where viewers are watching the main two characters essentially just talk. There is very little action, or interaction with other characters, beyond this.  Before Sunrise (1995) and it’s subsequent two sequels are incredible examples of these kinds of movies.  Talking head movies need to keep the viewer engaged through only dialogue, instead of supplementing with action, sequences, jump scares,  or comedic bits to entertain audience members.  It’s a gamble that can generate an intriguing, motion, picture, or lose audience members for the duration of the runtime.  The Brink of War is talking head feature, relying heavily on negotiations between two world  superpowers, at a  critical time in world history.

    The Brink of War sets itself up to be a Cold War thriller.  Considering the subject matter, this is a natural course of action, for the film.  Presenting it as a talking heads movie takes the thrills out of thriller.  The conversations were uninspired, coin tosses between snoozefests and headache, inducing yelling matches.

    What should have been a battle of titans, ended up being an ego feed to former president Reagan. 

   I was disappointed in that. I like Cold War thrillers. I count the Robert Redford feature Three Days of the Condor (1975), not only as my favorite Cold War thriller, but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time.

    Then again The Brink of War is brought to theaters by Angel Studios.  With rare exceptionally, enjoyed their films, but I find myself attending their movies. I have said it before, and I’m saying it again I find the Majority of their features to be insulting, and general condescending. I do like the fact that they put their work in theaters, and I like supporting my local theater.  It does annoy me, that they ask for money to pay it forward to the next movie goer, especially when they don’t tell you how it Van be redeemed.

   The Brink of War was an interesting concept about the negotiations between Regan and  Gorbachev.  Had it been more of a thriller, then a fluff piece, it could have been a decent film. 

   Until next time, I will see you at the movies!