A Private War

This was a film that had a tremendous amount of power. Rosamund Pike's performance was great Jamie Dorman was outstanding, as was Stanley Tucci and many of the other performances in this film.

It was a very heartfelt film about the horrors of war, and the extent to which madmen despots like Gaddafi and Assad will go to maintain their power. I'm not sure why all the dissenting reviews on this thread, it seems like an awful lot of people that were naysayers were politically motivated. Sure, I don't agree with a lot of US foreign policy, but this movie wasn't really about foreign policy, this movie was about the horror of war, this movie was about the bravery and courage of a woman who in my opinion, was near deity, for performing the work that she performed. Let's get real here, how many of the naysayers on this thread would have the guts to actually go into combat territory like she did and do what she did? Probably 2, if that. It is easy to be brave from your living room.

"A Private War" is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the "action" scenes are gripping, edge-of-the seat stuff. The theme of 'brave war reporting' is something of interest to me ever since seeing Damien Parer's WWII work. The importance of war correspondents is definitely highlighted here.

On the other hand, the whole thing just felt quite clunky and disjointed. I didn't really learn a whole lot about the conflicts Marie Colvin was reporting on. There was often context missing to scenes and this lead to a little confusion or waning interest on my behalf. Rosamund Pike delivers a strong performance though and it was enough to draw me back in.

There was also just a whole lot of stupidity going on. Sorry, but when one of Marie's colleagues said in the film: "You've got an amazing nose for a story. But you don't have a military brain" - I couldn't help but agree wholeheartedly. It was a frustrating watch at times.

It was a serviceable film though and there's enough here to hold any journalism students' attention. It's important to have journalists of Marie's calbire in our world today.

This is not an action film or one that glorifies war. I don't understand a lot of reviews, and with all do respect a lot of you missed the point. It is not a political film either. It is the story of a women who joined the frontlines of major wars and battles from the late 80s until her demise. It is a human story of Marie , and the PTSD she later struggled with by seeing the horrors as well as being blown up herself. It is a character driven film. It does a fine job at giving a voice to the voiceless. Showing not the fighting, but the human interactions of oppressed people during major war time. This was very good, and Rosemund Pike shines with the rest of the cast in telling this deeply moving story of a true renegade women who decided to go and see for herself and report back the true horrors of warfare and it's toll on the human beings involved. The collateral damage if you will. Very good watch , see for yourself. Don't listen to these reviewers who missed the point or possibly didn't even watch the film.

Greetings again from the darkness. Marie Colvin was a (seemingly) fearless war correspondent obsessed with giving a voice to those forgotten during war. Were she alive today, she could not have hand-picked a better filmmaker than Matthew Heineman to tell her story. Director Heineman was Oscar nominated for CARTEL LAND (2014) and, combined with his CITY OF GHOSTS (2017), gives him two of the best ever documentaries that show what the front lines are like in both international wars and the equally dangerous wars being fought over drug territories. Heineman has carried his own camera directly into the center of those storms, while Ms. Colvin took her pen and pad. Simpatico.

Based on Marie Brenner's Vanity Fair article "Marie Colvin's Private War" (screenplay by Arash Amel), the film benefits from the extraordinary and courageous work of Ms. Colvin, and also a terrific performance from Rosamund Pike (words I've not previously written). Ms. Pike captures the extremes of Ms. Colvin's life - the atrocities of war and the self-prescribed treatment of her PTSD through vodka, and does so in a manner that always seems believable. She lets us in to a world most of us can't imagine.

As a war correspondent for Britain's Sunday Times (since 1986), Ms. Colvin told the stories we'd rather not know. In her words, "I saw it, so you don't have to." The film begins with a stunning overhead view of 2012 war-ravaged Homs Syria (destruction courtesy of Assad's soldiers) - a place that starts the film and later ends the story. We then flash back to 2001 London so we can witness Marie in society and struggling with a personal relationship. She then chooses, against her editor's (Tom Hollander) guidance to cover Sri Lanka. It's a decision that cost her an eye, while also providing her recognition as the eye-patch wearing female war reporter.

In 2003, a tip takes her to a previously undiscovered mass grave site in Fallujah. This is her first work alongside photographer Paul Conroy (played by Jamie Dornan). Having "seen more war than most soldiers", Ms. Colvin's severe alcoholism can't kill the nightmares, visions, and PTSD. After time in a clinic, she returns to work. We see her in 2009 Afghanistan and then pulling no punches when interviewing Libya's Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. During these assignments, we learn much about Ms. Colvin's personality and approach. She is rarely without a cigarette, admits to wearing Le Perla lingerie (and why), carries Martha Gellhorn's "The Face of War" as her field manual, and wins two British Foreign Journalist of the Year awards - though seeing her at the banquets is quite surreal.

Hollander's subtle performance as news editor Sean Ryan is also quite impressive. He fears for her safety (and even questions her sanity) but is in constant conflict with the need to sell newspapers - something Ms. Colvin's stories certainly did. Stanley Tucci has a role as Tony Shaw, her love interest, but despite her words, we never believe he and his sailboat are ever more than a distraction from her obsession with the front lines. The final sequence in 2012 Homs Syria is stunning, as is her final interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN.

Ms. Pike has altered her voice to mimic the deeper tone of Marie Colvin - her efforts confirmed in the final interview played at the film's end. It's quite a career boost for Ms. Pike, who has previously been known for playing ice queens in films like GONE GIRL. She captures the traumatized Marie, but also the obsession of someone whose DNA constantly drove her back to the stories that needed to be told.

Director Heineman's unique perspective combined with the cinematography of 3 time Oscar winner Robert Richardson (a favorite of Scorcese, Tarantino, and Oliver Stone) delivers a realism of war that we rarely see on screen. Mr. Richardson also shot SALVADOR (1986) and PLATOON (1986) and his work here surpasses both. The film gives us a glimpse at the psychological effects of such reporting, and a feel for the constant stress of being surrounded by tragedy and danger. This is fitting tribute to a courageous and very skilled woman, although I do wish the men weren't constantly helping her out of trucks and jeeps.

A very different role for Rosamund Pike then Gone Girl or any other film she has made recently. She takes the care in embodiment of Marie Colven, trying to give her truth life. This is not an easy movie to watch, harsh scenes of war-torn countries and showing real people that have actually been effected by real tragedies. While watching I definitely felt that Matthew Heineman was trying to give the realest depiction of this story. I often felt a little underwelmed with the pacing of this movie, it flips back and forth to the past and present a little too much for me and not focusing long enough on either for the full character development. Rosamund Pike did give a great performance and Marie Colvin's story is worth watching.