Astoundingly raw performances and the relentlessly unflinching eye of actor-turned director Tim Roth help paint a vivid, wrenching portrait of terrible family secrets in this stormy, explosive drama about incest and its repercussions. Starring talented newcomer Freddie Cunliffe as a sullen, withdrawn teenager who is frozen with fear and rage when he discovers his father (an imposing, bi-polar Ray Winston) has been sexually abusing his older sister (the devastating Lara Belmont, also a first-time actor), The War Zone is a deeply disturbing and sometimes savage film, yet Roth bravely and unflinchingly holds nothing back, making his directorial debut as compelling as it is upsetting. If you think you can hack it psychologically, this is one of the best movies of 1999. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Blackwelder)
The War Zone
New Yorker, 99 min., avail. in R and not rated versions, VHS: $49.95, DVD: $29.95, Aug. 18 Vol. 15, Issue 4
The War Zone
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