Tonight on Amazon: Nick Nolte’s Top Role in an ’80s Gem Set in a Civil War!

Nicaragua, 1979. In the capital city of Managua, torn apart by the violent clashes between Sandinista revolutionaries and the forces of dictator Somoza, American journalists Russell Price, Alex Grazier, and Claire Sheridan risk their lives to cover the turmoil. Their situation grows even more perilous as they find themselves compelled to abandon their journalistic impartiality.

Now 80 years old, Roger Spottiswoode remains a director whose talents have been largely overlooked by the mainstream audience. He began his career as an editor for the legendary Sam Peckinpah on significant films such as “Straw Dogs” and “Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid,” and as a writer for Walter Hill on “48 Hrs,” which redefined the buddy movie genre. Unfortunately, he failed to make a substantial mark post the 1990s, having directed several notable flops including the unbearable comedy “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot” with Sylvester Stallone.

In 1983, a year before Roland Joffé’s acclaimed “The Killing Fields” and three years before Oliver Stone’s powerful “Salvador,” Roger Spottiswoode directed “Under Fire.” The comparison among these films is meaningful as they all explore the challenge of maintaining journalistic objectivity.

With strong direction and outstanding performances by Nick Nolte, in one of his finest roles, alongside the equally impressive Gene Hackman, “Under Fire” draws on a true story. It is inspired by the assassination of ABC journalist Bill Stewart and his interpreter, Juan Espinoza, by the Nicaraguan National Guard on June 20, 1979, amidst the country’s civil war. The footage captured by the journalist, which ultimately cost him his life, was broadcasted on national television in the United States, sending shockwaves that undermined the remaining support for the clinging dictator Anastasio Somoza.

Despite its initial failure at the box office, the film has since been rightfully reevaluated. It stands out as a piece of passionate and provocative cinema from the 1980s and is arguably the filmmaker’s finest work. Available for viewing (or revisiting) on Prime Video.