Total Control

Sutherland is so much acting the role of a stodgy politician that it's a bit much. Too, Anne Archer's fragile mental stability. Jodhi May as the daughter is

overwrought and makes inexplicable hand motions. These aren't bad actors.

Someone should have demanded less strained performances of them. Still, the

story moves along nicely with plenty of intrigue. Any fan of behind-the-Iron- Curtain suspense stories will probably enjoy this well enough.

1979 Communist Poland; Donald Sutherland's high ranking official suddenly finds himself without priviledge and no explanation as to why. Nothing and no one is safe in his world. His friends no longer want to be seen with him, his special needs daughter (Jodhi May) is removed from her Geneva school and returned to Poland over night, his wife (Anne Archer) endures an emotional breakdown under the duress, as he finds himself in impossible circumstances at every turn. This film works in showing the subversive wickedness of Communism - how in theory it is government for the masses but in reality it may deny individuals any and all rights on a lark. But the pacing is not always sure of itself and the performances range from even handed (Sutherland) to overwrought (Archer). Worth a look.

This is the third film I've watched in recent memory(The Girl from Petrovka and Gotcha!) set behind the iron curtain, and it is by far the one that feels the least like a piece of propaganda(it is also the only of the three that was released after the wall fell). In fact, it feels like a pretty realistic depiction. I haven't watched anything else by this director nor by either writer. This was apparently based on real events, and it feels rather authentic. It is genuinely fairly engaging, it builds tension nicely, and the suspense is great. The twist at the end definitely surprised me, and worked immensely well with what had happened up to that point. Sutherland is excellent as always, and Archer(who I've only been exposed to in the two Jack Ryan films she was in) is marvelous, as well. May, however... I think it would be more appropriate to call what she does "reading her lines", as it just does not qualify as "acting". Unfortunately, she's pretty heavily featured in spite of that. The rest of the performances are varied. Few even attempt to pull off a Russian accent. The characters are fine, and you do sympathize to Josef's situation. There is some strong language and a little violence in this. I recommend this to fans of exciting thrillers with a bit of a spy-flavor to them. 6/10

This largely forgotten film is exceptional in every way. A Canada-Israel-France co-production set in 1979 and released in 1990, it was filmed in Warsaw and Gdansk and stars two Hollywood actors playing-rather convincingly-Poles caught in the communist system of deception, intrigue, and party loyalty. A rather smug Jozef Borski is suddenly banished from the politburo. When he asks, "What did I do?" he is told, "Nothing." This leads to a bewildering set of events that throw his family life into turmoil. Donald Sutherland and Anne Archer play the leads with poignant authenticity, and the filming on location gives real insight into life in Poland before the Soviet Union and the Communist Party released their grip on the nation. Note also that the Polish national anthem and the Polish version of the "Happy Birthday" song, "Sto Lat," can be heard at the beginning of the movie.

"Eminent Domain" is quite a good movie. It keeps its viewers intrigued all throughout the movie. Its main character, Jozef Burski, is number six in the Politburo of the Communist Government of Poland in 1979. He is a person highly respected due to his honesty and sense of duty. He enjoys being in power but he uses his position for the good of others. His position also helps him to keep his wife and young daughter, who has learning problems, in comfortable circumstances. Suddenly his world is turned upside down when he finds he is excluded from his office in the Politburo and that his friends are avoiding contact with him. His mentor, the Chairman of the Politburo, whom he has served loyally, also wants nothing to do with him. Burski's daughter is taken out of her overseas school and brought back by the secret police to his home in Poland and his house is bugged. No explanation is given for this dramatic change of circumstances. Burski then decides to find out what is behind all of this and tragedy soon stalks his every move. Donald Sutherland plays the role of Burski well, giving him the confused persona that Burski certainly would have had during his experiences. The fact that this is based on a true story makes this story even more fascinating. "Eminent Domain" being a combined Canadian, Israeli and French production does not have the polished look of Hollywood movies but it nevertheless manages to capture its viewer's interest by focussing in on Burski's inner turmoil and on the effect his unexplained loss of position has on his family. This is a movie to look out for on the shelves of the local video store.