Live from Baghdad (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Robert Wiener (book)
Robert Wiener (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

7 December 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

The Gulf War, 1991. No story is worth dying for - but this was the story of a lifetime.

Plot:

A group of CNN reporters wrestle with journalistic ethics and the life-and-death perils of reporting during the Gulf War.

Plot Keywords:

Cnn | Gulf War | Baghdad | Iraq | Saddam Hussein

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Michael Keaton	...	Robert Wiener
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Ingrid Formanek
Joshua Leonard	...	Mark Biello
Lili Taylor	...	Judy Parker
David Suchet	...	Naji Al-Hadithi
Bruce McGill	...	Peter Arnett
Michael Murphy	...	Tom Johnson
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Ed Turner
Hamish Linklater	...	Richard Roth
Michael Cudlitz	...	Tom Murphy
Robert Wisdom	...	Bernard Shaw
Pamela Sinha	...	Fatima (as Pamela Sinna)
Clark Gregg	...	Eason Jordan
Matt Keeslar	...	Nic Robertson
Kurt Fuller	...	Inky

Runtime:

110 min | USA:108 min | Argentina:107 min | Spain:104 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:LH | South Korea:12 | Spain:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 | USA:Unrated | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

The movie being shown in the theater when Iraq invades is Tremors (1990).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Although based on a true story, the film is not a documentary. Many events have been condensed or eliminated and even some characters have been condensed or eliminated.

Quotes:

Stu: You're nothing but a bunch of overpaid, bone-picking vultures.
Robert Wiener: You're confusing us with CBS, pal. We're the under-paid vultures.

Movie Connections:

References "Meet the Press" (1947)

wonderful film, powerful story

HBO has brought us a great film here. Michael Keaton plays CNN producer Bob Weiner in this exciting tale of drama, war, and the role the media plays in current affairs. The film is about the events leading up to, and culminating in the 1991 Gulf War. We see the invasion of Kuwait months before the allied bombing raids, and we end after the first night of bombing...the movie follows the events of this time period, which include that invasion of Kuwait, the holding of American and British hostages in Iraq, CNN's rise on the media scene, becoming a very powerful international news organization thanks to their exclusive reporting from Iraq. Keaton does a very nice job here, which is what you expect from a great actor like himself...Carter, who plays the other CNN producer is very good as well, this being the first movie I have seen her in.

Nice filmmaking here...I'm not sure where it was filmed, but it sure looked like Baghdad to me...and the casting is very well all around- these guys looked so much like shaw, arnett, and to a lesser degree John Holloman- it was almost eerie. You felt like you were right in the room with these guys as they talked to Atlanta over the four wire radio they had access to (which is what helped them report the story from Iraq when no one else could.) There are some really good special effects as well, the anti aircraft fire lighting up the sky was spectacular, and once again- it helped give the feeling that you were right in the thick of things.