Back to trending
Under Fire

Under Fire

Drama · War · 1983

Three U.S. journalists get too close to one another and their work in 1979 Nicaragua.

Movie details

Under Fire

“The first casualty of war is the truth.”

1983 Drama · War 2h 8m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.0 / 10

8.7K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

90 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

72 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Three U.S. journalists get too close to one another and their work in 1979 Nicaragua.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Under Fire?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Jacknife

Jacknife

Drama · 1989

A conflict develops between a troubled Vietnam veteran and the sister he lives with when she becomes involved romantically with the army buddy who reminds him of the tragic battle they both survived.

King Rat

King Rat

Drama · 1965

When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, the Allied POWs, mostly British but including a few Americans, were incarcerated in Changi prison. Among the American prisoners is Cpl. King, a wheeler-dealer who has managed to establish a pretty good life for himself in the camp. King soon forms a friendship with an upper-class British officer who is fascinated with King's enthusiastic approach to life.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Drama · 1962

In Argentina, one daughter of patriarch Madariaga is married to a Frenchman while the other is married to a German thus leading to a crisis when Nazi Germany occupies France and some Madariaga family members fight on opposite sides.

Welcome to Sarajevo

Welcome to Sarajevo

War · 1997

Follow a group of international journalists into the heart of the once cosmopolitan city of Sarajevo—now a danger zone of sniper and mortar attacks where residents still live. While reporting on an American aid worker who’s trying to get children out of the country, a British correspondent decides to take an orphaned girl home to London.

The Ice Storm

The Ice Storm

Drama · 1997

In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century.

The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields

Drama · 1984

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

Outlaws - For Greater Glory

Outlaws - For Greater Glory

History · 2012

A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

War · 2019

Vietnam War, 1966. Australia and New Zealand send troops to support the United States and South Vietnamese in their fight against the communist North. Soldiers are very young men, recruits and volunteers who have never been involved in a combat. On August 18th, members of Delta Company will face the true horror of a ruthless battle among the trees of a rubber plantation called Long Tân. They are barely a hundred. The enemy is a human wave ready to destroy them.

The Only Living Boy in New York

The Only Living Boy in New York

Drama · 2017

When a young man learns that his overbearing father is having an affair, he tries to stop it, only to be seduced by the older woman as well.

Salvador

Salvador

Drama · 1986

In 1980, an American journalist covering the Salvadoran Civil War becomes entangled with both the leftist guerrilla groups and the right-wing military dictatorship while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roger Spottiswoode

Written by

Ron Shelton · Clayton Frohman

Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte

Russell Price

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman

Alex Grazier

Joanna Cassidy

Joanna Cassidy

Claire

Ed Harris

Ed Harris

Oates

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Marcel Jazy

Richard Masur

Richard Masur

Hub Kittle

Alma Martinez

Alma Martinez

Isela

Court is in session

Put Under Fire on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.