A Private War

Movie

2018

1h 46m

English

Drama, War

User Score:

6.8

Critic Score:

One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontlines of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless.

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A Private War

Movie

2018

1h 46m

English

Drama, War

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WATCHMODE

6.8

IMDB

CRITIC SCORE

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Cast

Marie Colvin

Paul Conroy

Sean Ryan

Tony Shaw

Norm Coburn

Professor David Irens

Kate Richardson

Rita Williams

Zoe

Gaddafi

Adam Watkins

Remi Ochlik

Mourad

Antonythasan Jesuthasan

Tamilselvan

Ignacio

Nurse

Newspaper Editor

Lily Shaw

Gaddafi's aid

Gaddafi Soldier

Mrs. Lee - Gypsy Mother

Angela Yeoh

Young Female Journalist

Nadeem Srouji

Iraqi Militia Captain

Emil Hajj

Gaddafi Translator

Wissam Tobaileh

Abu Zaida FSA Leader

Directed By: Matthew Heineman

Written By: Arash Amel (Screenplay)

Featured Comments/Tips

freinhar says...

6 years ago

This is a hard movie to comment on, because it chronicles something of importance, but at the same time never seems to dig any deeper than surface level events. It's an entire movie about Marie Colvin, in which we learn very little about Marie Colvin. What drove her? Who knows. Rosamond Pike's performance is good, but again keeps us at quite a distance from actually getting to know the character. This is clearly intentional. I just don't think it worked - for me. This movie tries but fails to establish a meaningful relationship between the central character and the horrific conflicts she's drawn to, but we never learn why. And we don't really gain any insight into the people whose lives are being decimated by civil war. There are movies that are far more effective at chronicling the extent of human misery, and the horrors of war. This one did not end up enhancing my perspective in a meaningful way.

Like - Dislike - Comment - 20 0

faithful soul says...

5 years ago

Marie Colvin was a brave woman, but the film never truly gets under her skin. A documentary might have been better, especially considering the director's previous credentials. It's not a bad film. however, and it is worth a watch, if only for another painful reminder of the horrors of the Syrian conflict.

Like - Dislike - Comment - 10 1

KD6-3.7 says...

5 years ago

Matthew Heineman directed the Hell out of this film, I can't wait to see what else he works on. The performances are pretty great all around but the script is what lets this film down. It's a good script it's just a tad confusing at times and doesn't feel like it goes deep enough into this characters psyche or the conflicts she's covering. Everything else is great though, the set pieces are brilliantly directed, I love the use of practical effects throughout (only minor CGI that I could tell), brilliant cinematography and a quiet, but effective score. Another commentator here mentioned it, but a lot of biopics stretch out material so they have enough for a film, others have to rush some things along and never go far enough, this film falls into the latter. Entire years are skipped along with very little room to breathe.

Like - Dislike - Comment - 00 0

rmgebhardt says...

5 years ago

Some biopics have to stretch out the material they're based on to get enough for a movie. Others, like this, feel like they could have given you much, much more. I knew bits and pieces about Marie Colvin, but not much beyond that. In this overview of her more famous reporting years, you get little bites of her and her work, but I found myself often craving a bit more. In an era of bloated runtimes, it may sound odd to ask for it, but I would have been just fine with another 30-40 minutes to get some more depth, context, and background on the various time periods covered. Rosamund Pike and Jamie Dornan are both quite good in their roles, and the supporting cast is fine, but feel a bit one-note at times. In a time when reporters are reviled by a subset of society that think they're all hacks making up "fake news", it's good to watch something that reminds you that they're often truth seekers and explorers who want to discover what is hidden or unknown.

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Featured User Reviews

Nancy L Draper

9/10 6 years ago

A profound telling. From the very beginning of this film the writer and director make us aware something is coming. Each piece of Marie Colvin's story is measured against a countdown to Homs. As neither British or American (nor a reader of print media) I was unaware of Marie Colvin's journ More

Like - Dislike - Comment - 10 0

Bertaut

CONTAINS SPOILERS7/10 2 years ago

Not a patch on Under the Wire but still pretty solid

A Private War is a fine film, but it's nowhere near the quality of Christopher Martin's exceptional Under the Wire (2018), a documentary about Marie Colvin's last assignment, and how her photographer, Paul Conroy, got out of Syria after her death More

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Stephen Campbell

5 years ago

**_Not a patch on_ Under the Wire _but still pretty solid_**

> _**_Anderson Cooper_**_: _Why is it important, do you think, to see these images? Why is it important for you to be there? Right now you may be one of the only Western journalists in Homs - our team has just left._
>
>_**_Marie Col More

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