Deterrence (movie)
Deterrence is a low-budget 1999 movie by director Rod Lurie about nuclear brinksmanship.
Synopsis
The movie opens with a series of historical clips of various United States Presidents making speeches before beginning the story. President Walter Emerson, newly elevated from the role of Vice-President by a sudden vacancy, is crossing the country on a campaign tour when a freak snowstorm traps him in remote Colorado diner with a bunch of ordinary citizens. Suddenly, word arrives that Uday Hussein, leader of Iraq, has invaded Kuwait. With U.S. troops already committed to other countries, Emerson informs the world that unless Hussein orders an immediate retreat, he will bomb Baghdad with a nuclear weapon, to the dismay of the customers in the diner. Hussein's diplomat refuses to back down and cuts off the telephone talks, citing the fact that Emerson is an unelected leader and a Jew. After that, it's solely a matter of who "blinks first."
Tagline
"Every President has a defining moment. Walter Emerson is about to have his."
Praise and Criticism
This is a movie that elicits a strong response. Some viewers have hailed this film as a taut political thriller, Armageddon as seen through the eyes of helpless civilians as well as the iron-nerved Commander-in-Chief. Others have called it jingoistic garbage that substitutes macho posturing for both common sense and human decency.
Cast Kevin Pollak as President Walter Emerson Sean Astin as Ralph Timothy Hutton as Marshall Thompson Sheryl Lee Ralph as Gayle Redford Clotilde Courau as Katie Badja Djola as Harvey Mark Thompson as Gerald Irvin Michael Mantell as Taylor Woods Kathryn Morris as Lizzie Woods Ryan Cutrona as Agent Dexter Joe McCrackin as Agent Williams Scoot Powell as Noah J. Scott Shonka as Captain Coddington Rigg Kennedy as Howard and Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln
External Link IMDb page for Deterrence
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