Every president has a defining moment. Walter Emerson is about to have his.
Set in the year 2008, Deterrence is a provocative political thriller which takes place over the course of an election evening. When Walter Emerson (Kevin Pollak), the embattled incumbent President of the USA, finds himself trapped in Colorado by a freak snowstorm, he and his entourage must seek refuge in a diner.
As President Emerson, his chief of staff Marshall Thompson (Timothy Hutton) and national security advisor Gayle Redford (Sheryl Lee Ralph) view the election returns at the diner and hear news of his victory in a crucial primary, the broadcast is interrupted by reports of an international incident with UN forces overrun and numerous Americans killed. As the President decides on a course of action, he addresses the nation from the diner. During a live world-wide broadcast, Emerson threatens the unthinkable, a nuclear confrontation. is he bluffing or is he willing to risk the lives of millions?
Special Agent Matti
Deterrence is a surprisingly good made for cable, release to video movie.
Deterrence takes some of the major news stories of the 90s and twists them together into a sequel, Life 2: the return, or, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Using the "locked in a room" plot structure, everything occurs at the other end of a satellite phone causing repercussions among those at this end. It lets you have a big picture shown in intimate terms, kind of like Air Force One without the unbelievable action bits ("Get off my plane" - who writes this crap?).
What you end up with is an escalating cycle of secrecy and violence, tearing apart the preconceptions that regular Americans hold dear, like "The USA is number one" and "The USA is too big to mess with" (even the attacks on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon didn't do anything to change that). Deterrence goes some way toward educating those unfortunates that bad guys do hit back (Lockerbie anyone?) until the final twist where everyone in North America comes out ok: it panders too much to their sense of invulnerability.
Still, it's a good watch with lots of tension and unspoken agendas. Watch it on a week night to get the best out of it.
M (Low level coarse language, medium level violence)
103 minutes (1:43 hours)
VHS rental: 20 March 2002
