Betrayed | | Cast : | Debra Winger, Tom Berenger | | Director : | Costa-Gavras | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | August 26, 1988 | | DVD Released Date : | May 01, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | September 24, 2004 | | Summary | He named his dog after Ronald Reagan. | Content
 | This was one of those mythological films that I speak so highly of in other reviews. This was a gem hidden in the darkness. Looking at the cover, you would never guess that this would be such a powerhouse of a film, but let me be the first to say that it was.
Berenger and Winger are amazing in their roles. Winger giving the best performance that I have ever seen her do, while Berenger takes a character riddled with evil and makes him human. When I first began this film, I was expecting a very true Hollywood production. One that would be dark at first, but all of the sudden create this happy world at the end. This film did nothing close to that. What was amazing about this film was that it let the audience make it's own decisions. Not much was handed to you on a silver platter.
Upon the first ten minutes of this film, you would probably assume that it was a love story. It is anything BUT a love story. It is a crime/thriller/drama film, and quite possibly one of the strongest that I have seen in some time. There are some scenes in this film that I couldn't believe I was watching. The sheer brilliance of the director left me wondering if this film was really made in 1988. The cinematography was outstanding. There is one scene that stands out the most in my mind. After Berenger tries to "put down" his dying horse, he can't pull himself to shoot a living creature, so he has his side-kick do it. After it is done, he runs out into the rain behind Berenger wrapped in a plastic tarp. The image here is of the devil riding close behind. It is so vivid and so beautifully done that you can't help to wonder what that may represent. There are a couple of scenes very similar to this as well.
Now, this isn't a film without some small flaws. The young girl was annoying. Perhaps I find young children in these types of films always to be annoying, but in this case it was especially bad. Also, there were some dopey scenes to this film. There were some parts that I felt I was the director of the film watching some bad lines happen between Berenger and Winger ... but it was only a couple.
Betrayed ends like an open-ended question. It tells you that justice has been served, but not eliminated. It does not paint a pretty picture of our society. Be prepared if you see this for some embarrassing, yet disturbing images of ethnic hatred in this film. Some scenes that you will not believe ever happens in our country, but in the back of your mind you know certain evils do exist. But then also be prepared to see John Mahoney (of Say Anything... fame) do his best work ever. The war took his son, the bank took his land, why shouldn't he fight in this battle of supremacy? Dark and impressive ... WOW, I am lucky to have found this one.
Grade: ***** out of ***** |
| Rating | | | Date | July 12, 2004 | | Summary | Loosely based on true sory | Content
| This movie is actually based on a group form the Pacific Northwest known as the "Bruders Schwiegen",or in English-Silent Brotherhood led by Robert Jay Matthews(Berenger's character).As the movie is competent it could have been much better if it had more closely followed the real story.This is the type of movie that Oliver Stone could make an absolute blockbuster out of if it were followed to fruition,similiar to docu/movie style as JFK. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 01, 2003 | | Summary | Misguided | Content
| Debra Winger is a fine-looking woman in the best shape of her life in this film, so no objections there, but this movie lacks intelligence. Groups on the political fringe may have open recruitment, but when it comes to the inner circle they tend to be highly secretive. Do you think a criminal mastermind would take his new girlfriend to a Klannish manhunt on the second date? Later on they openly discuss a nation-wide plague of terror on this man's front porch--RIGHT! When it comes to drama I prefer some semblance of the truth, but like most Hollwyood films, this movie butchers reality like it's going out of style. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 22, 2002 | | Summary | Gripping film from start to finish. Excellent characters! | Content
| Another 5 star vote for this film, and well deserved it is. The artistry in this film is evident, the plot is gripping from beginning to end. I was pleased to see so many familiar faces in the cast: Betsy Blair, (a 1955 Oscar Nominee for "Marty"), "Frasier" dad John Mahoney, John Heard, and character actor Ted Levine ("Silence of the Lambs") all are here, and all do a wonderful job. (John Mahoney is especially excellent, in a chilling but affable way.) The plot unfolds slowly at first, with only faint hints of what is to come. (Actually, the less you know about this film going in, the more you will be surprised by it.) The "wholesome" farm community which seems so "normal" holds so much more--something troubling and sinister. But yet, these people still retain that "wholesome" normalness to them, even after we see what is underneath. The "normalness" never completely goes away, and in some cases, we still are actually able to sympathize with these characters, as depraved as they are. As a previous reviewer said, the "insanity of normality". "Betrayed" depicts this well. The whole cast is wonderful--Winger is compelling and convincing, as is the rest of the cast. The characterization (and acting) of Tom Berenger as the "insane/normal" Gary should be applauded particularly. All through the film his character is consistent--a man with a "normal" ability to love those close to him. Even when see how his motivations and world view are so completely warped, we see a Gary who feels deeply, loves, and wants many the "normal" things in life. These qualities do not disappear when the darker side of him is revealed, which makes his character all the more fascinating and even sympathetic at times. The "insanity of normality" is most evident in his character. Great film score by Bill Conti--understated at times, but effective. All-in-all, a fantastic film. A must-see. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 27, 2002 | | Summary | Fascinating | Content
| It is an absolute pleasure to see how highly rated this film is. When it was first released, "Betrayed" received strongly mixed reviews -- everyone praised the sterling performances but most critics found this story of white supremacists planning on starting a guerrila warfare against the U.S. government wildly implausible. Oh, how little they knew! Here we are, after Oklahoma City and Ruby Ridge, truly evaluating this film for its prophetic theme. Don't miss this one, folks. It's brilliant. |
|
