Customer Reviews

The Second Civil War

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Second Civil War" accomplishes what "Wag the Dog" tried and failed to do. While the latter, despite great performances, becomes a stale one-joke movie, the former takes ever more outrageous twists and turns. And everything that happens is frighteningly within the realm of possibility! Best in-joke: James Earl Jones, the "voice" of CNN, plays a reporter for the CNN clone in the movie.

Starts off funny, moves to hilarious and end up very disturbing. An incredible stellar cast. Made in 1997 and for a number of years HBO has pretended it never heard of this film and it is not for sale (today) in the HBO store. It was once sold for a very short time on laser disk and vhs. Then it was pulled and denied. Suddenly it has surfaced on dvd. I figure I'd grab a copy on dvd before it disappears again.

Excellent movie - well crafted and definitely not 'politically correct'.

Sorry, but I love this movie. Not only is it quite funny, but it prophisized not only Lewinsky, but GW Bush as well. This is something that I think could happen in the US (a Hispanic Revolution, closing our borders to immigration). I also think the fact that Clinton could not ask South Carolina to remove the confederate flag indicates just how fragile the Presidency is in the context of states and Governors.

Directed by Joe Dante this brilliant black humor comedy satirizes everything, from racism, to imigration, religion, politics and the power of the media. In a near future, the governor of Idaho(Beau Briges) decides to close his state borders to protect the "american way of life", more precisely his own. The situation turns into a circus when a plane of pakistani refuges fleeing from a nuclear war tries to land in Idaho. And so starts this big mess that might lead to civil war. As the story progresses we see it from various points of view like the news network triyng to explore the situation for higher viewings rates, the imconpetent president and his advisors and governor Farley that sees himself in a situation where there is no turning back. Great performances from James Earl Jones and James Coburn.

In the near future, a planeload of immigrant orphans are on their way to a charity facility in Idaho when the Governor of the state closes its borders and refuses them entry. This sparks a division of military forces, between states government's National Guard and federal government's Army, each hell bent on protecting their own version of the American Dream, as well as their media images. At the center of this Constitutional storm is a President unable to make a decision without checking with his advisors and referencing one of his predecessors, a Governor more interested in liasons with his immigrant news reporter mistress than dealing with immigration laws, a newsroom where facts and truth balance with viewer shares, and a TV audience more interested in their favorite daytime soap opera. The Great American Melting Pot is about to uncivilly boil over.

This HBO black comedy is an excellent mix of political and news media parody, race relations satire, and morality tale. Wonderfully quirky, and sometimes deeply meaningful, dialogue. Characters run the gamut from dignified to loony. Performances from a large cast are all vibrant and spot on. A movie gem.

Favorite Line(s): "Can't make an omelet without busting some sacred eggs. We're making history here and you ain't with us, are you?" "No I'm not." "You should be. Why not?" "Maybe because I'm a reporter, I ain't with anybody. Maybe because too many sacred eggs are getting busted. See, I rode the buses back in the 60s to bring people together. Pretty unfashionable now, isn't it?" "Your wife, she's Jewish, ain't she?" "You know, I forgot what she is, all I remember is that we met on the back of a bus."
"I'm trying to remember the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I said it a million times when I was a kid. Right now I can't seem to remember the words."

I think that this is one of director Joe Dante's best films ever made. The film's subject provides an interesting an entertaining look at what could happen in the United States in the future. The issues discussed in the film such as racism, immigration, and the United States as the only remaining powerful nation on Earth made this film both serious and humorous. The film also had a great cast. They gave convincing and effective performances. I think that this is a really great movie. It's really worth watching.

HBO films comes through again with this biting farce on the melting pot that is America. In the "near future", the governor of Idaho (Beau Bridges), a right winger if ever there was one, closes the state borders to prevent a few busloads of orphaned Pakistani children from settling in his home state. Soon the President (Phil Hartman in one of his few effective screen roles) consults with his spin doctor (James Coburn) to decide what to do. Meanwhile, the Idaho governor is carrying on a torrid affair with a beautiful news reporter from NewsNet, which is reporting all this. NewsNet is the home of news director Dan Hedaya, anchorwoman Joanna Cassidy, veteran reporter James Earl Jones, wiseass reporter Denis Leary, and hotshot camerman Dick Miller (yes, the GREAT Dick Miller of Buckets of Blood fame), as well as news executive Roger Corman (gee, how did HE get in there?).

Well, I'll tell you how he got in there. The film is directed by Joe Dante, and Dante got his start working for Corman's New World Cinema. So he returned the favor and cast Corman in this film. Surrounding the president, aside from Coburn, are advisers and/or secretaries of state and defense William Schallert and Kevin McCarthy (yes, of Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Of course the irony of the reporter with whom the Idaho gov is having an affair being Mexican-American (Elizabeth Pens) is part of the gallows humor glee on display. JE Jones provides the voice of heart and conscience for the proceedings, and in fact, it's his voice that ends this tragicomedy. And make no mistake, tragicomedy it is. Not, mind you, in the tradition of Shakespeare and/or the like, but nevertheless, well done anyway.

There's a great back and forth between Jerry Hardin as the military leader of the National Guardsmen defending the Idaho border, and Brian Keith as the US Amry general sent in to fight the state National Guard and get those kids into Idaho by any means necessary.

The script is sharp and biting and ultimately, tragedy does ensue. But getting there is a lot of fun; you wait to see what witty slashing lines will crop up next. Dante does a good job of carrying the ball and running with it here; as of 1997, when this was made, you can tell he's still got it.

OK, this is not a great film. But the political satire is trenchant--especially, for example, when the governor of Rhode Island, a Chinese-American man, complains about thousands of Chinese landing in his home state. He decides not to let anymore Chinese into RI. So much for the unity of a people.

Much better than you might expect, this actually works well. A tightly scripted, well done piece of work.

What is really surprising is that this HBO video ever made it to DVD! Its about a repressive president who steps over a line, and the Western governor takes him on-sort of. Its played for laughs, but events spin out of control. When you start calling out the troops to defend your country, sometimes things just happen-and your country really does get defended. Vaguely similar to the Turner Diaries, in that its about the conflict between the Eastern repressive Federalists and the Western (think Montana) free staters. Watch it-no matter what part of the political spectrum you are on. The one thing I've found that liberals and conservatives all agree on is that government does many things badly. And the governments in this movie do things badly!

My fave scene is James Earl Jones at the end. This movie is a great view of how out of control, government can get.

The Second Civil War is a delightfully preposterous comedy.
But current rantings & ravings of politicians and talk-show fools make one realize that truth really is stranger than fiction.
Xenophobia has become a national disease. Not so funny.