It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles.The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963. With its satirical view of Greek politics, its dark sense of humor, and its downbeat ending, the film captures the outrage about the military dictatorship that ruled Greece at the time of its making.Ebert spoke passionately about the film, saying, "It will make you weep and will make you angry. It will tear your guts out." And that is really what makes the film great. It spoke of the darker things going on in the late 1960s. A time of love and protest, yes, but also a time where political upheaval sometimes came with a violent price.

The minus is only because for a « Greek » movie, having Algeria for location and cast hasn't the flavor of the real Greece ! But Gavras hasn't the choice either because at the time, it was still the dictatorship there and at least, Theodorakis' score helps to feel this culture.In all cases, this movie is just amazing. In our dark time in which democracy is stomped, this committed production is just a needy breath of air. For one time, political power isn't told as courageous, bold, historic but rather as corrupted, authoritarian. In short, the movie doesn't depict them as how they would like to appear but rather as how they really are. It's also a excellent lesson in constitutional law as it illustrates the meaning of the separation of powers : a real democracy is where each power is independent. Thus here, you can conclude it isn't one as the administration is vehement to tell the judiciary what it must does. At last, it's a extraordinary story about courage and conviction. A bit like « Schindler's list », this movie demonstrates that the psychopathic state relies on individual and as soon as one says « no », he can become the little grain of stand that blocks the machine. Here, Trintignant is a young judge who stays truth to his function and it's all the more funny and powerful that he's highly clever : he doesn't look up much but he knows exactly what to do to put the culprits in his web !In conclusion, this movie is just an oasis in film history and it should inspire newcomers to do the same instead of serving propaganda !

Do read the review of lhwilliams on this site, as he had a personal experience involving this film that is thoroughly believable given the times and fascinating as well.Z deals with the real-life assassination of Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis, an athlete turned doctor turned politician who believed in peace and humanity and lost his life as a result.Costas Gavras takes us to 1963, and though Greece isn't mentioned, we are in Greece and shows us the events surrounding the death of Lambrakis -- what led up to it, and what followed it.Yves Montand and Irene Pappas took roles in this -- Montand's role is not large, as he's the murdered man. And as you'll read from lhwilliams, making this film caused him plenty of problems. Costa-Gravas himself said that Irene Pappas really couldn't be touched as she didn't care, and she wanted to be in the film. Jean-Louis Trintignant was brilliant as the Examining Magistrate, who doesn't give away his decision on whether or not to carry on with the case. He's under a great deal of pressure not to prosecute the police, who stood by and let the violence happen. You really don't know what he's going to do until the last minute. The commentary at the end of the film is sad indeed, as we see that there was just no fighting the power of the state.The murder did make a difference, at least briefly, as far as the government of Greece.A very impressive film, with some marvelous acting, that has an important message.

This is a great movie. I have watched this movie a few times and have enjoyed it on each viewing. it tells the story of the return of a progressive politician to a totalitarian state with a corrupt police force. His return is to deliver a speech in the lead up to general elections. The movie shows the steps which the government and the police will go to try and firstly stop him from delivering a speech and secondly from trying to silence him permanently.The main reason I like this movie is because the characters are so well developed and original. There are no clichés in this movie when it comes to any of the characters. Even somewhat minor characters have strange little personality traits, which distinguish them from the run of the mill supporting cast. For example, the witness who decides to come forward to the police turns out to be quite a complex character when one discovers his motivations are coming forward.The only person that seems a bit wasted in this movie is Irene Papas , who virtually says nothing through the whole movie. Indeed she does little more than make a succession of intense facial expressions throughout the movie. Despite the heavy themes that this movie is seeking to explore, there is also quite a lot of humour. I particularly liked the scenes which showed the desperate attempts by a succession of police officers attempting to escape the media through a locked door.