''The Second Civil War'' is a satirical

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

film made for the HBO cable television network and first shown on March 15, 1997. Directed by Joe Dante, the film is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

about anti-immigrant sentiment in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The film stars

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

Elizabeth Peña Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress, writer and musician. Her work in films included ''Nothing like the Holidays'', '' Batteries Not Included'', '' La Bamba'', '' Down and Out in Beverl ...

, and

Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole") and throu ...

as reporters for a

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

-like

cable network Networking cables are networking hardware used to connect one network device to other network devices or to connect two or more computers to share devices such as printers or scanners. Different types of network cables, such as coaxial cable, op ...

, "News Net" (referred to in on-screen graphics as "NN");

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...

as the

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

; James Coburn as his chief political advisor; and

William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on '' Richard Diamond, Privat ...

as the Secretary of Defense.

Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...

portrayed a

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in one of his final movie roles.

Plot

The film is set in a future

in which

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

has rapidly increased, resulting in a fractured

polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all Eu ...

society. The mayor of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

speaks only in Spanish,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

is populated mostly by

Chinese-Americans Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...

, and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

has a congressman from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Politics have been openly reduced to a matter of catering to various ethnic groups for their votes, and media-fueled polarization has led to widespread anxiety, with viewership of

cable news Cable news channels are television networks devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, the first nationwide ca ...

, including channel NewsNet, at all time highs. When an atomic weapon is used on

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, an international organization makes plans to bring refugee orphans to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

. NewsNet embeds a reporter on the plane and airs footage of the crying children in order to boost ratings. As Idaho has already received over a million refugees, Idaho Governor Jim Farley ( Beau Bridges) orders the state's

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

to close its borders, citing public safety. Despite claiming to be a nativist, Farley routinely indulges in Mexican food, Mexican soap operas, and an affair with a Mexican-American NewsNet reporter (

). As she live-translates an impassioned speech from Los Angeles' mayor vowing a reconquest of the lands of the old

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

within the United States, she grows increasingly angry at Farley's decision, before the speech is interrupted by an assassination attempt from black Angelinos seeking to reclaim the city from the Hispanics. Farley is dismayed at his mistress' anger, and, despite the best efforts of his press secretary Jimmy Cannon ( Kevin Dunn), remains largely oblivious to the growing implications of the crisis. Meanwhile, the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

(

) turns out to be an entirely ineffectual leader, ruthlessly exploiting immigration to fill districts and states with those most likely to vote for his own party. Reputed to be indecisive, the President delegates his decision-making entirely to his advisors, most notably his unofficial chief advisor,

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

Jack B. Buchan ( James Coburn), who concerns himself entirely with the President's public image and media perception of the administration. Buchan regularly influences the President's decisions by manipulating his desire to emulate previous U.S. presidents, even going so far as to pepper pre-written presidential statements with fictitious "quotes" from President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. Buchan directs the President to "be decisive", and the President orders Farley to open the Idaho border to the refugees within 72 hours, before shortening the deadline to 67 hours in order to prevent the news from causing an unpopular interruption to

Susan Lucci Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946) is an American actress, television host, author and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama ''All My Children'' during that show's entire network run from 1970 ...

's farewell appearance on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' All My Children''. As the deadline approaches, the Governor and the President call in, respectively, the

Idaho National Guard The Idaho Military Department consists of the Idaho Army National Guard, the Idaho Air National Guard, the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, and formerly the Idaho State Guard. Its headquarters are located in Boise. The main goal of the Idaho M ...

and the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. Tensions rise when the commanders of both units turn out to be bitter rivals from the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. Media descends on the border, drawing national attention to the conflict, and NewsNet orders its reporters to continue focusing on the faces of the refugees for ratings. Governors from other states send in their own National Guard units to aid one side or the other, resulting in even worsening nationwide polarization, which comes to a head when Mexican-American pro-immigrant rioters bomb the Alamo. After losing the support of Representatives from Alabama for not providing them money for

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temples despite India's atomic bombing of Pakistan, the President attempts to rely on Chinese-Americans, a core constituency, only to find out that they are siding with Farley due to the White House previously announcing a deal with the Chinese-American community's rivals, the Nation of Islam, and its leader, Congressman Nkomo, to gain Black-controlled electoral votes. The President attempts to shore up his numbers by making appeals to

Korean-Americans Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian Americans ...

instead, but finds that there simply are not enough Korean-American votes. As the President prepares to grant visas to two million Koreans to increase the Korean-American vote share, he is informed by the

Joint Chiefs The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and th ...

that anti-immigrant terrorists have retaliated the Alamo bombing by destroying the Statue of Liberty, claiming that "we do not want your huddled masses anymore". Upon seeing their own reporting of the destroyed monument, already exhausted NewsNet employees begin to argue about their roles in stoking conflict and eventually start to physically fight. Eventually, Governor Farley's girlfriend convinces him to back down from the conflict and resign, but it is too late to avoid conflict.

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

soldiers see news coverage of the destroyed Statue of Liberty and mutiny, causing them to be court-martialed on the spot. As they await the

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

, one of the soldiers implores his executioners to "go ahead and kill America", claiming that there's "nothing left" of the American nation, and that the country is now merely run by "politicians and executives who hire people in places we don't live". This speech and the execution are caught on live television by NewsNet, causing more mutinies. The President orders the Joint Chiefs to suppress these mutinies, but all armored divisions nearby are unable to respond, as the manufacture of replacement parts had been outsourced to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, which had previously embargoed these parts due to an argument between the President and the Taiwanese Prime Minister. As the situation continues to deteriorate, the decision is made by one side (left unclear) to attack, resulting in a major battle between the US Army and Idaho National Guard. The President makes the decision to invade Idaho, beginning the Second American Civil War. At the movie's close, news reports indicate that hostilities have ceased, but that the immigration system remains unchanged.

Cast

* Beau Bridges as Gov. Jim Farley *

Joanna Cassidy Joanna Cassidy (born Joanna Virginia Caskey, August 2, 1945 Brady, James"In Step With: Joanna Cassidy" ''Miami Herald'', November 25, 1990. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Born: Aug.2, 1944, in Camden, N.J.") is an American actress. ...

as Helena Newman *

as The President *

as Jim Kalla * James Coburn as Jack Buchan *

Dan Hedaya Daniel G. Hedaya (born July 24, 1940) is an American actor. He established himself as a supporting actor, often playing sleazy villains or wisecracking supporting characters. He has had supporting roles in films such as '' True Confessions'' (198 ...

as Mel Burgess *

as Christina *

as Vinnie Franko * Ron Perlman as Alan Manieski *

as Secretary of Defense *

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...

as Chief of Staff * Catherine Lloyd Burns as Amelia Sims * Kevin Dunn as Jimmy Cannon * Shelley Malil as Congressman Singh * Larry "Flash" Jenkins as Kenya Nkomo * Dick Miller as Eddie O'Neill *

as Maj. Gen. Charles Buford * Richard Gross (actor), Richard Gross as Militia Leader * Roger Corman as Sandy Collins * Hank Stratton as Blaine Gorman * Alexandra Wilson as Caroline Dawes * Johnny Luckett as Captain * Jerry Hardin as Col. McNally * Dave Georgi as Major * Dana Lee as Chinese Colonel * Stogie Kenyatta Firing Squad Officer * Sean Lawlor as Brendan * Leah Gale as White House Reporter *

as Himself (archive footage) * Ronald Reagan as Himself - At Statue of Liberty Re-dedication (archive footage) * Nancy Reagan as Herself - At Statue of Liberty Re-dedication (archive footage) * John Wesley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs * Ben Masters as Matthew Langford * Rance Howard as Arnold Tooney Jr * Robert Picardo as Godfrey * Jim Lau as Chinese Congressman * Nathaniel Goodman as Christina's Cameraman * Jodi Verdu as NewsNet Technician #1 * Jamison Yang as NewsNet Technician #2 * Paul Guyot as NewsNet Technician #3 * Terry Knight as Boise Reporter * Anthony Lee as Steven Kingsley * Eve Brenner as Elderly Militia Woman * Scott Atkinson as Young Militia Man * Christine Jane Newman as Militia Child * Sonny Skyhawk (Charles Brito) as Indian * Darryl Van Leer as Mohammed Amin

Release

The film was shown in theaters in Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and France in 1997 and 1998, before being released to home video. In Australia, the film was released directly to video in April / May 1998. The DVD was released in 2005. Beau Bridges won the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award, Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Second Civil War, The 1997 films 1990s Spanish-language films 1997 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films Films about immigration to the United States Films about television people American political satire films HBO Films films Films directed by Joe Dante Films scored by Hummie Mann Films with screenplays by Martyn Burke Second American Civil War speculative fiction 1990s English-language films 1990s American films