A Private War

In a Nutshell

Rosamund Pike gives a career-best performance in this Marie Colvin biopic.

[imdb]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2368254/[/imdb]

Review

Just a few weeks ago, on January 31st, a US court found Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government liable for Marie Colvin’s death. Colvin died in 2012, aged just 56 whilst reporting from the siege of Homs in Syria.

Most biopics, particularly those focused on war, take place once the dust on
the battlefield has settled . This isn’t the case with A Private War, here we follow Colvin’s reporting on some of the most affecting conflicts of the modern day.

Marie Colvin worked as a foreign affairs correspondent for The Sunday Times since 1985. She first interviewed Muammar Gaddafi in 1986, and again during the Arab Spring. In 2001 Colvin lost an eye in an ambush while covering the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. She wore her trademark eyepatch for the rest of her life.

An Arresting Central Performance From Rosamund Pike

It would be easy to get lost in Colvin’s mythic status, but the pacing and cinematography of A Private War feels just as current as Colvin’s legacy. Director Matthew Heineman has previously worked mostly on documentaries, and he brings  this sense of location and immediacy to the narrative form. There is little moody lighting or stylised elements in the filming here. Instead, scenes are are clear and well-lit, with very effective sound design.

There is little moody lighting or stylised elements in the filming here. Instead, scenes are are clear and well-lit, with very effective sound design.

Rosamund Pike’s performance is determined and affecting, both when we see her as a tough war reporter in battle zones, and likewise fighting her personal battle with PTSD back home. Perhaps because of its singular focus, secondary characters, like her photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan), aren’t left with much room to make a big impact.

A Film that Excels on the War Front, but Struggles With the Personal

Tom Hollander puts in a good turn as Colvin’s boss, sending his reporters to war zones while he wrestles with the consequences in his London office. His character emphasises that this is a film set in two very different worlds.

The film is worth watching for Pike’s performance alone, but it also feels incredibly timely to recognise the immense personal sacrifices Colvin made to shine a light some of the world’s darkest places.

It’s at at its best when it’s tracking Colvin through the jungle, the desert, or through the shell-shocked city streets. But it sags when it comes to building a picture of Colvin outside of her career.

Verdict

In an age where respect for journalism is eroded by clickbait and ‘fake news’, A Private War illustrates the value of telling the stories of ordinary people devastated by conflict.