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Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jacques Perrin, François Périer ... see more see more... , Charles Denner , Maurice Baquet , Jean Bouise , Marcel Bozzuffi , Gérard Darrieu , Jean Daste , Van Doude , Pierre Dux , Bernard Fresson , Steve Gadler , Georges Géret , Julien Guiomar , Gabriel Jabbour , Clotilde Joano , Guy Mairesse , Jean-Pierre Miquel , Magali Noël , Renato Salvatori , Georges Rouquier , Andree Tainsy , Jose Artur , Eva Simonet , Jean-Francois Gobbi

Z is one of the most politically insightful films ever made, exposing government hypocrisy and cover-up in the wake of a political assassination. Zei (Yves Montand) is a scientist who is scheduled to ... read more read more...give a speech against the use of the atomic bomb. On the way to the event, he is attacked outside the auditorium by a group of right-wing extremists with political ties to the government as the police stand by and do nothing to intervene. He recovers long enough to make the speech but is later clubbed again and must undergo several surgeries, then dies during one of the procedures. A newspaper reporter finds a witness to the event and a judge willing to hear the case despite government protests. The ensuing trial reveals a government conspiracy, but the results of the trial are thrown out when a new government is formed by a military coup, which results in the intolerance that outlaws long hair, the Beatles, and any peaceful protests. Director Costa-Gavras used actual trial transcripts of the investigation into the May 22, 1963, assassination of Greek pacifist leader Gregoris Lambrakis, which proved a government conspiracy in his death. Yves Montand gives the best dramatic performance of his life, and Irene Papas stars as his wife, Helena. Z won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film of 1969, was 14th in terms of box-office success, and hit an international nerve in the age of social unrest, government cover-up, and political assassinations. All those involved worked on the film for a reduced rate with an option for royalties based on earnings at the theater window. The letter Z in the Greek alphabet means "he is alive." ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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93% liked it

5,799 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

39 critics

PG, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Costa-Gavras

Release Date: February 26, 1969

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DVD Release Date: July 2, 2002

Stats: 401 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (401)

  • bottcorecords1
    May 16, 2012
    bottcorecords1
    "Z" is a film of the sixties, even more so perhaps than "Woodstock". The film shows what the effects of public protest can have on the established government, in particular, the paranoid, thug-like behavior of bullies when threatened. "Z" stands for "he lives", and the "he" in ... read morethis case is The Deputy, or The Doctor, a dynamic leader of the leftwing party. He's coming to town to give a speech on nuclear disarmament and the right wing Junta is conspiring to shut him up. They do so with the help of hired goons wielding truncheons who disrupt the meeting, first by inciting the crowd to riot, then by beating up anyone who even looks like The Deputy. The police are there for crowd control, but they stand by stone-faced as blood is spilled. Only two newspaper reporters and an investigating magistrate are interested in getting to the truth of what happened at the rally, everyone else seems to only want to cover it up. As I said before, this is a film of the sixties, where the student protestor's paranoia was usually justified, and those in power were terrified to the point of doing cowardly and unspeakable acts. Where long hair and rock-n-roll was not just a matter of taste but a threat to the very existence of their way of life. Under these conditions of butting heads and idealogies, where one side pushes, and the other side must push back, there will be victims of injustice. Z is a film about that injustice and it makes no bones about it.
  • moonrivers
    May 15, 2012
    moonrivers
    Old school mallet about murderous corruption in high places when a charismatic anti-status quo leader is mysteriously struck down during a public rally. An international cast lend mucho gravitas to the seemingly quick proceedings. Also at play, amongst other things, is the simm... read moreering violent capabilities quietly waiting beneath the surface of "normal, working citizens". Must see.
  • fb1038944442
    February 25, 2012
    fb1038944442
    Z is a very original and fast paced political thriller, full of surprises throughout. Greek director Costa Gravas made a depiction of an actual assination of an opposition politician in his native country, but it's shot with French actors in Algeria. This sounds strange, but it... read more gives the film a universal almost allegorical quality which transcends both its time and its politics.

    What I liked about Z was its energy and drive. Its violence is perpetrated by low rent thugs with clubs as their weapons - not a knife or gun to be found. Star Yves Montand, plays a physician who leads the political opposition, mostly from an anti-nuclear bomb angle. He's assasinated in the first third of the movie, which is a similar effect to Janet Leigh's early shower demise in Psycho. It's a shock and you wonder which character can possibly emerge as a protagonist. In this case, it's an unforgettable Jean Louis Trintignant, as a enigmatic, delving state prosecutor, you are unaware what side he's on, till he reveals his hand at the end.

    What's truly unique about Z's perspective (which is Marxist, but don't let this be a deterrent to enjoying the film) is how it shows the underclass manipulated through arms length control by the junta to doing the bidding of the ruling class. I don't know when such a complex and potentially dry political analysis has been presented in such an entertaining and fresh way.

    Costa Gavras makes very interesting use of flashback techniques and unusual hand held camera moves to keep the film at maximum intensity. It's shot with crisp, high resolution vivid colour in sunny mediterranean tones. The film feels much shorter than its 2 hour plus running time. It has humour and passion.

    On the down side, the characters are presented at a cold distance, and the story is much more about the political situation than about individual lives, which are only hinted at. Greek diva Irene Pappas gives a very interesting performance as Montand's suffering wife, but we don't spend enough time with her to understand or feel her or anyone else's situation. We see her anguish and move on.Trintignant is all business, we learn nothing about him as a human being.

    Still, this film is one of kind. It didn't remind me of anything else I had ever seen, and for that, I recommend it heartily to all you fans of poltical thrillers. It was more original and involving than a similar recent critical success, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which had a lot going for it but I found it overrated and dry. Get the Criterion disc, it looks awesome.
  • FrizzDrop
    January 17, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Tension, political outrage, lies, and the people trying to turn them into truths. These are some of the evident and amazingly displayed themes of the political thriller Z. Dealing with Communism, a prevalent powder keg for the time, was broached heavily, and the protesting masse... read mores were characterized as the simple victims of abuse, the police and political figures swine, and obviously there is a labyrinth of intrigue that leads to revolution in an unknown state (thinly veiled as Greece in the early 1960's) The supposed dark humor was lost upon me, but that is on account of the language barrier and the time period. The ending, so haunting and frankly scary, was eye opening and a great wrap up for the message of the film.
  • rubystevens
    December 18, 2010
    rubystevens
    one the most important films of the 60's, it may have lost some of it's immediacy in the 40 intervening years but it's still a brilliant political thriller with great pacing, gripping even if u know nothing of the history involved but better if u do. read up and it's easy to see... read more how it caused a firestorm on release and opened a whole new realm of possibilities for filmmakers. brave cinema indeed
  • imrealgod
    July 12, 2010
    imrealgod
    Heavily applauded at its release, this political thriller today comes across as somewhat "being there, seen it all" experience. Having said that, it still doesn't bore you to death & is quite engaging. I liked the way the characters are presented, especially that of the major wit... read moreness. Costa-Gavras really does a commendable job. His movies have never left me utterly disappointed so far (okay, maybe because I've seen only 3 movies directed by him, namely "Missing", "Amen." & this one). 6.5/10.
  • RossCollinsUK
    March 16, 2010
    RossCollinsUK
    Police complicity in the assassination of a peace activism leader. The first third slowly sets the scene, but thereafter the story focuses on the cooly objective judge piecing together the facts of the incident that clearly point to police involvement and subsequent coverups. Her... read moree the story shows some real wit and intelligence. It's a very 60s movie with some psychedelic moments and that crazily edited flashback style of the era.
  • kiriyamakazou
    March 13, 2010
    kiriyamakazou
    An important film in terms of technical ability, storytelling, and it's message. Z deals with the assassination of a political figure, and an alleged cover-up that may run deep into crevices of the government and establishment. Z manages to tell a complex story, but keeps us enga... read moreged with the characters by building upon them as the plot unfolds. One fascinating technique, has silent flashes from character's pasts. This helps paint a canvas outside the realm of the film, without being distracting filler. For such a talky film, it manages to keep a well timed pace using it's beautiful musical score and the perfect editing. Riveting.
  • pier007
    August 5, 2007
    pier007
    A bit dated, nevertheless a necessary, intriguing and well made political thriller. with great performances and a deserved academy award.
  • hypathio7
    June 9, 2010
    hypathio7
    The music is very rhythmic. The camera work is fairly documentary-like giving us a feeling that we are viewing things few have seen. The editing is kinetic, not dwelling too long on most shots unless they need to be emphasized.

    The characters are not presented in a normal mann... read moreer, but I liked it. Characters freely flow in and out of the story more like they do in real life, rather than in the way structured movie plots usually establish and then wrap up a character's existence. It is hard to choose who the main character is, though my pick would be The Magistrate, and he doesn't appear until several minutes into the film. During the opening credits we hear the General (played by Dux) and the Colonel (played by Guiomar), heads of security, giving their conservative, military, anti-communist position for the type of country they want to form. We then meet the three men closest to Montand's pacifist politician: Manuel (played by Denner), Matt (played by Fresson), and Georges (played by Bouise). They try to keep things legal in finding a place for him to speak. He wants to give people another option politically and this is seen as dangerous to the establishment. He has strong pacifist ideals that are twisted into communist leaning by others. In the scene with the angry mob attacking Montand's character, we briefly meet Perrin playing a photojournalist, Vago (played by Bozzuffi), and Yago (played by Salvatori). The photojournalist at first is just interested in money. Vago and Yago are drunken thugs who play major parts in multiple acts of violence the night the angry mob gets out of control. Montand is then absent from the rest of the film except through flashbacks. His wife, played by Papas, then comes on the scene, stirring allegations of a bad marriage, though still grieving because I'm sure she suspects something is not right about what security tells her happened to her husband. Then just as quickly she is absent from most of the rest of the story. The Public Prosecutor (played by Perier) seems well intentioned, but the General and the Colonel feed him misinformation. The Public Prosecutor assigns a Magistrate (played by Trintignant) to what he thinks is a clear cut case. The Magistrate is not a communist sympathizer, nor is he willing to just accept the "facts" that the heads of security tell him. Trintignant plays a great stoic character who is committed to finding the truth. Nick (played by Geret) is the first breakthrough witness willing to identify someone responsible for the crime, counter to security's claim that it was all an accedent. Nick is attacked too causing Perrin and Trintignant to both become invested in justice being done. Trintignant interviews many people with different versions of the event, but gradually the true picture begins to emerge. Amazing performances from all involved, with moments of humor, thrills, and tragedy. The movie moves along at a rapid pace.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards
January 15, 2010
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

It's hard to overstate the impact that this Oscar-winning procedural thriller had in 1969, on a world roiling in political activism, repression, and discord. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
July 10, 2009
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Z, whose title is a stand-in for the Greek word zei ('he lives'), takes us back to where that fascination all began for Costa-Gavras and shows us that, for the rest of us, it hasn't ever really ended.

Ty Burr
April 23, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

In its slick cinematic urgency and its outrage, Z still has the power to shake you up. Full Review

Dana Stevens
March 13, 2009
Dana Stevens, Slate

Z combines the intellectual heft of revolution-themed films like The Battle of Algiers with the drop-dead cool of mod touchstones like Blow Out or Le Samouraï. Full Review

David Edelstein
March 11, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Fascism has been driven underground, but a dose of Costa-Gavra's electrifyingly brutal 1969 political thriller Z will rattle you all the same. Full Review

Nicolas Rapold
March 10, 2009
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice

The military junta that ensued in Greece gave the film a sense of urgency approved by Cannes and Oscar alike. Full Review

James Berardinelli
February 20, 2008
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

This movie is for those who prefer for there to be meat on a screenplay's skeleton and who don't demand far-fetched conspiracy theories that play fast and loose with the facts. Full Review

Variety Staff
February 20, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

A punchy political pic [from the novel by Vassilis Vassilikos] that mixes action, violence, and conspiracy on a robust, lavish scale. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It is a film of our time. It is about how even moral victories are corrupted. It will make you weep and will make you angry. It will tear your guts out. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The usual excuse for films like this is that the crude melodrama helps communicate important political ideas and historical information, but Z doesn't communicate anything. Full Review

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