The Rainbow Warrior

This was a film that, because it is based on fact, is thought-provoking and a bit unnerving. While not fantastic, this film still enters a realm of human behavior and politics that makes it interesting. I found Jon Voight's character a bit annoying (perhaps I am being a bit harsh... I've never been a huge fan of his), but one who stood for what he believed. Sam Neill does indeed put in a good performance (no surprise there), and I found myself rooting for his character. On the whole, the movie was good, and made me rethink everything I ever thought about government, civil defense, and politics. It is a film that will open your eyes, and you may not like what you see. Thank God there are people out there who really do seek the truth, and demand justice!

As a movie it's not great by any means and endlessly forgettable. It rushes from scene to scene and has quite too many characters that don't have a proper intro.

It's a real story about how France sank a Greenpeace boat in New Zealand and got a photographer killed in this action. All to keep them away from their nuclear testing at various islands. This movie goes over how the police tracked down the guilty secret agents. But there are so many scenes and events that it's not easy to understand exactly what happened. Plus it's quite old and the quality is way below digital cameras. The scenes are dry and boring most of the time too. Sam Neill and Jon Voight are only a bit below par while everyone else is basically terrible. A ton of actors in minor roles are clearly just random people saying their lines and it's extremely cringe and amateurish. It does feel like a B tier documentary about the event with no storytelling emotions. A narrator could have saved this by clearly telling us about what the heck is going on and what we are even watching. The camera work is decent but boring. The budget is actually not terrible, but on the low-end TV movie wise.

Basically, it goes over the story, but it doesn't feel like a story for a movie. Ideally we should have seen the photographer caught in the boat and drowning. Then meet the lead investigator at home with his family reading the story. Then we see the French agents being nervous and feeling guilt while they call their families or something. You know, scenes to make it all feel personal and close. Instead we follow the investigation and the evidence just pours in without much work from anyone so it's quite a dull point of view. We could have followed the French terrorists as they set it all up and then got caught and lied or some journalist writing a story maybe. The detective stuff is cool, but if you don't show them finding evidence step by step it's not really the best point of view. Scenes just come and go with no clear connection.

It's an average movie in all aspects. If this was not a real story the movie would be 100% pointless and terrible. It has that going for it, but nothing else really. I did feel for the French female terrorist who cried. But again, we don't follow her and don't really see what happens to her. I just think her scenes were strong. I guess the point of view is bad here and without personal scenes creating real life people this never became great.

I would recommend documentaries and interviews with the terrorists over this. This is too dry for most people.

This has just been released on DVD in Australia in a quite reasonable transfer but without any extras and unfortunately an incomplete cast list. Filmed mostly in Auckland it has a good air of realism and the French in particular are portrayed with a scurrilous and arrogant demeanor as befits the event. Sam Neill is excellent as the Police Chief but Jon Voight is weak in an otherwise more than adequate cast. The coastal and sea photography is good and there only minimal fill shots. As terrorism becomes an increasing issue, this dramatization of a real event shows what lengths states will go to when they feel their legitimate interests are threatened. I enjoyed it as did several of my fiends who viewed it. Recommended.

A very good adaptation of the real events that surrounded the Rainbow Warrior bombing with very good performances all round. Sam Neil proves again what a great actor he is as he plays real life Alan Galbraith. Jon Voight does a particularly good turn as skipper Peter Wilcox.

The French are quite rightly portrayed as the enemy in this film because they are and notably showed how stupid they were leaving trails for the New Zealand police to follow. They after all in particular Galbraith almost toppled the French government with their discoveries a giant killing act indeed.

There are some good scenes in this film some quite surprising. The scene in which the Rongelap man describes his people succumbing to the effects of radiation poisoning following the 1954 15 megaton thermonuclear 'Bravo' shot on Bikini is one of the most disturbing descriptions that I have ever heard. All in all a good film and a good purchase on DVD.