''Deadline'' is a 1987

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Nathaniel Gutman. It stars

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Christopher Walken on stage and screen, His work on stage and screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Christopher Walken, accolades includin ...

as journalist Don Stevens, who is set up amidst the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

and is fed false information. An international co-production of Israel, the United States, and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, the film was shot in Israel and was released in some countries under the title ''Witness in the War Zone''.

Plot

Ace Reporter Don Stevens (

) is an American journalist who goes to

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

during the

. He stays in a hotel with English journalist Mike Jessop. He is promised an interview with a top

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora. ...

leader, Palestinian Yassin Abu-Riadd (Amos Lavi). However, this proves to be a set-up and he is duped into interviewing an impostor who claims the PLO are prepared to negotiate peacefully. Outraged by this deception, Stevens becomes determined to find out the truth. In this quest he is helped by a Scandinavian doctor, Linda, who it emerges is Yassin's estranged girlfriend. Along the way, Stevens is hindered by everyone around him: The PLO threaten him, the

Phalangists The Kataeb Party (), officially the Kataeb Party – Lebanese Social Democratic Party ( '), also known as the Phalangist Party, is a right-wing politics, right-wing Christianity in Lebanon, Christian political party in Lebanon founded by Pier ...

arrest him and the Israelis ignore him. Tricked and beaten, he gradually uncovers a murder plot, double agents, the bombing of the Phalangists headquarters and, most terrifying of all, a plan to massacre hundreds of civilians. In a story that takes the lid off events in Lebanon, Don Stevens becomes a reluctant hero, and in doing so, gets the scoop of a lifetime.

Cast

as Don Stevens * Marita Marschall as Linda Larsen *

Hywel Bennett Hywel Thomas Bennett (8 April 1944 – 24 July 2017) was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in '' The Family Way'' (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom '' Shelley'' ( ...

as Mike Jessop * Arnon Zadok as Hamdi Abu-Yussuf *

Amos Lavi Amos Lavi (; 1 January 1953 – 9 November 2010) was an Israeli stage and film actor. He won three Ophir Awards for the roles he played in the films ''Sh'Chur'', ''Nashim'' and ''Zirkus Palestina''. Career Lavi was born in Libya in 1953. Lavi im ...

as Yassin Abu-Riadd *

Etti Ankri Esther "Etti" Ankri (, also spelled "Eti" or "Etty," and "Ankari"; born January 4, 1963) is an Israeli singer-songwriter. She is a former ''Female Singer of the Year'' in Israel, and has also performed in the United States, England, and India. An ...

as Samira * Martin Umbach as Bernard *

Moshe Ivgy Moshe Ivgy (; born 29 November 1953) is an Israeli actor and director. Biography Moshe Ivgy was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to a Moroccan Jewish family. He was married to actress Irit Sheleg. Their daughter Dana Ivgy is also an actress. Afte ...

as Abdul *

Sasson Gabai Sasson Gabai (or Gabay; ; born ) is an Israeli actor. He is the winner of an Ophir Award, Asia Pacific Screen Award (nominated), European Film Awards and Jerusalem Film Festival in 2007 as Best Actor in the highly acclaimed Israeli film '' Th ...

as Bossam

Reception

Awards

won the Magnolia Award for "Best Actor" at the

Shanghai Television Festival The Shanghai Television Festival (), abbreviated STVF, also known as the Shanghai International Television Festival is the first and one of the largest television festivals in East Asia. Held since 1986, STVF has become one of the most influential ...

References

External links