American roulette

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Movie
German title American roulette
Original title American Roulette
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1988
length 94-102 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Maurice Hatton
script Maurice Hatton
production Graham Easton ,
Verity Lambert
music Michael Gibbs
camera Tony Imi
cut Barry Peters
occupation

American Roulette (Originally American Roulette ) is a British thriller from 1988 . Directed by Maurice Hatton , who also wrote the script. Starring alongside Andy García , Kitty Aldridge , Robert Stephens and Al Matthews .

action

The poet and democratically elected president of a South American state Dr. Carlos Quintas, who won the office of president in the first free elections in his Latin American homeland, is deposed after a coup. A bloody military coup leads him to flee to London , where he organizes a government in exile . His mentor and constant companion Ramon is by his side now too. Although Quintas strives to find supporters for his struggle for freedom, his efforts are initially unsuccessful. Worse still, Quintas' life is in danger because the military junta is putting the killers Ruben, Miguel and Alfonso on him. With his assistant, Kate Webber, who Quintas fell in love with, he narrowly escapes an arson attack on his home. When one of Quinta's closest friends is murdered, the poet is resigned to giving up. However, when secret documents were leaked to him, the tide turned. These so-called "Pickwick Papers" reveal the cooperation between London and the military dictatorship and move the world press to bring Carlos and his cause and his fight against a corrupt system back into the headlines.

Quintas hopes to be able to free his country from the clutches of the military junta. It is very important to him that Kate reciprocates his feelings and supports his political stance. But a new disappointment is already on the march, rival secret services court Quintas and want to use him for their purposes. The murderous roulette begins to spin. On the one hand, the KGB agents Vladimir and Nickolai, who appear very jovial, offer him their help; on the other hand, Morrisey from the CIA approaches him and promises him half a million dollars for the publication of his next book on the condition that he will take up politics gives up. As a result, Quintas is being hunted by the killers on the one hand, but the police are after him on the other hand, and the British government wants to deport him as a politically uncomfortable foreigner.

When the military junta set up a team on Quintas to kidnap him, he flees on the London Underground . On his escape he meets the accomplished British agent Screech, who offers him his help. However, the killers manage to kidnap Kate, which means that Quintas can be exchanged for the woman he loves. He is kidnapped to the embassy, ​​where he is threatened with execution. In desperation, Kate turns to Morrisey and Screech to rescue Quintas from his threatening position. In fact, it works. Since the military junta in Quinta's country has gambled away, he is asked to serve as interim president until new elections. Quintas chooses love and Kate, but does not rule out a candidacy in the new elections.

production

Production notes

The film was produced by British Screen Productions in association with Channel Four Films , the Mandemar Group and Roulette Production, and distributed in the USA by Vidmark Entertainment. The shooting took place in London .

In his role as president and especially poet Andy García quotes the poetry of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda .

publication

The world premiere of the film took place on May 18, 1988 at the Cannes Film Market . The film opened in the Federal Republic of Germany on May 19, 1988 under the title American Roulette . In the United States, it was released on video in February 1989. He was seen in Portugal from October 27, 1989. It was also published in Brazil, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Spain. The film was released on December 9, 1988 with a German soundtrack on video; there has not yet been a DVD release.

criticism

The magazine Prisma praised the “convincing” portrayal of Andy Garcia “as a charismatic idealist” in the “exciting political thriller about loyalty, love and the melancholy of exile”.

Cinema described the film as a "mess" and mockingly asked if it was a satire. The film magazine awarded this “dubious political thriller with Andy Garcia” one of three possible points for action and tension and stated succinctly that Andy Garcia “ran without a plan. And what is missing in action, [could] not make up for the gibberish "Conclusion:" If you bet on this nonsense, you have lost. "

The film service stated: "Political thriller enriched with a love story."

Kino.de was occasionally “irritated” by the “unnecessary change of narrative levels and overdrawn intelligence agents” in an “otherwise solid film by the Briton Maurice Hatton”, which justified a “good sales expectation”.

Dieter Wenk asked Textem at the beginning of December 2003 whether “Presidents can also be poets”. He also said that one shouldn't take the film “too seriously”, because the character of Carlos is “postmodern par excellence”. "Very British" is the man from Scotland Yard with the "class of an FBI agent". In conclusion, Wenk said, “and last but not least,” “love and politics” are not mutually exclusive, that remains “the good news of a light-footed and poetic film that still seems“ modern ”even after 15 years.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ American Roulette - Filming locations in the IMDb. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  2. ↑ American Roulette - premiere dates in the IMDb. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  3. ↑ a b American Roulette see filmdienst.de. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  4. ↑ American Roulette see prisma.de. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  5. ↑ American Roulette see cinema.de. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  6. ↑ American Roulette see kino.de. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  7. ↑ Dieter Wenk: American roulette see textem.de. Retrieved March 2, 2019.