Deterrence is a 1999 film written and directed by Rod Lurie depicting fictional events about nuclear brinksmanship. It marks the feature directorial debut of Lurie, who was previously a film critic for the New York Daily News, Premiere Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and Movieline, among others. Kevin Pollak, Timothy Hutton and Sean Astin star. The entire story takes place in a single location, a diner.
Tagline:
- Every President has a defining moment. Walter Emerson is about to have his.
Plot
Set in 2008, President Walter Emerson, formerly Vice President and elevated by the death of the previous (unseen) commander-in-chief, is crossing the country on a campaign tour when a freak snowstorm traps him in a remote Colorado diner with members of his staff plus a group of ordinary citizens.
Suddenly, word arrives that Uday Hussein, leader of Iraq, has invaded Kuwait. Using a television cameraman who is following his campaign, Emerson notifies the world that unless Hussein orders an immediate retreat and personally surrenders, he will bomb Baghdad with a nuclear weapon.
Hussein, through his United Nations envoy, refuses to back down and cuts off telephone negotiations, claiming Emerson is an non-elected leader and also a Jew. He threatens to fire Iraq's black-market nuclear missiles at several global locations including Emerson's own, near NORAD in Colorado, if his country comes under attack.
It is learned that Iraq purchased these weapons from France. Despite being a U.S. ally, the French president appears to be cavalier in confirming this with Emerson and his entourage. The sites of the missile launchers include Libya and North Korea.
Emerson is counseled by his chief of staff, Marshall Thompson, a former university classmate, and by his national security adviser, Gayle Redford. Once his ultimatum is made and the countdown to his deadline begins, the President and his staff are confronted with the opinions of the diner's customers, including its angry owner and cook, Harvey, and a young bigot named Ralph.
Emerson is not only adamant in his beliefs, he seems every bit as willing as Hussein to trigger a nuclear war. He orders a B-2 bomber to cross Iraq's borders despite the threats of the Iraqi ambassador that this would constitute an act of war. In retaliation, the Iraqis transport 23 nuclear I.C.B.M.s to various corners of the world, including Australia, Japan, France and other targets.
The President argues with advisers while appearing totally confident in his own actions. A tragedy occurs inside the diner when Harvey brandishes a gun and shoots the military officer carrying the briefcase that contains the launch codes. Emerson's security guards kill the cook.
To the horror of all, the President carries out his threat. He authorizes the dropping of a 100 megaton bomb on Baghdad, resulting in the complete destruction of that city.
Iraq's retaliation begins. A bomb lands in Athens, but it does not detonate. Neither does a device that lands in Hiroshima. A majority of the other missiles have been intercepted.
A short time later, the President addresses the world on TV. He explains that in order to prevent the Iraqi regime from developing its own nuclear devices through other channels, the U.S. sold it nuclear weapons via the French, whilst ensuring that they would never be able to function properly.
Already reeling from the shocks of the past few minutes, the President's aides are further astounded when he announces his immediate withdrawal from the election campaign. He did what he felt it necessary to do, but believes that someone else should be the one to carry on.
Cast
Reception
A March 10, 2000 New York Times review by Stephen Holden calls Deterrence a "clunky political thriller" marred by "ham-fisted preachiness and mediocre acting."
External links
