Path To War Details

Although made for TV, director John Frankenheimer's final film is one of his most powerful works. A slow-burning look at the political machinery behind America's conflict in Vietnam under Lyndon B Johnson, the feature is meticulously detailed and brilliantly executed. Interweaving original archive footage with believable dramatisation, Frankenheimer turns potentially tedious melodrama into a highly charged and fascinating exploration of arrogance, ignorance and tragedy. Michael Gambon gives an emotional and finely nuanced performance as the guilt-racked president, and he receives outstanding support from an electrifying Donald Sutherland as his advisor, Clark Clifford. The lengthy running time and largely office-based action may alienate some people, but for anyone looking for quality viewing it's well worth the time and effort.