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Review

After making two interesting but uneven films in the U.S. (A Show of Force, Carried Away), director Barreto returned to his native Brazil for this superior thriller, a Best Foreign-Language Film nominee. In the tradition of State of Siege and Missing, this true-life tale focuses on the people caught in the middle of perilous political turmoil. The case here is Brazil in 1969, when a group of young radicals rebelling against an oppressive military government kidnap Charles Elbrick (Arkin), the U.S. Ambassador to the country. Organized by a fierce female leader (Torres) and featuring a small crew consisting of fresh-faced students and veteran terrorists, the group holds Elbrick at gunpoint while they await government powers to release 15 political prisoners from jail. Tightly wound, marvelously acted and filled with moments of bare-knuckle suspense, the film belongs on the shelf next to the best of Costa-Gavras. (In English and Portugese with English subtitles)