Pinochet's Last Stand (2006)

I'll be honest – this British TV movie was a bit of a disappointment to me.  It's not a bad film exactly.  I actually found the story fascinating, and there are some excellent actors in the cast.  But I dunno; the film itself feels sort of cheaply made, like its production was an afterthought.  It's the kind of movie that doesn't really do justice to the story it's telling.

 

Pinochet's Last Stand dramatizes real-world events about former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.  In the late 90s, Pinochet spent a year-and-a-half in the U.K. under house arrest.  The film depicts this period, including the days leading up to his arrest and the lengthy legal/political tug-of-war over whether he should be extradited to Spain to stand trial for atrocities committed in Chile during his rule.  He chafes under his imprisonment in an upscale suburban home, served sumptuous meals on fine china, while expat Chilean activists are scolded by neighboring households for making too much noise with their protests.  All the while, restitution for more than 3,000 dead or missing political prisoners rests precariously on a net of red tape.

 

PC plays Andy McEntee, chairman for Amnesty International.  Andy is a dogged idealist, but one who's been around long enough to know how the game is played.  He's had Pinochet in his crosshairs for years and has seen the dictator slip through his fingers more than once before.  This time, he's determined to see him stand trial.

 

It's a good performance, easy to root for.  When Pinochet is arrested, it's a long-awaited triumph for Andy, and you feel for him as the legal hemming and hawing draws out and it seems Pinochet might wriggle away yet again.  From cautious pragmatism, to hope, to desperation, to battle-worn exhaustion, PC capably shows Andy's state of mind at each turn.

 

It's worth mentioning that this film is a veritable who's who of Who.  It stars Derek Jacobi, who of course had a brief turn as the Master before John Simm took over.  Jessica Stevenson (Nurse Redfern in the John Smith two-parter from series 3, though it's her role in Spaced that won my eternal devotion) plays one of the officers stationed with Pinochet.  Phyllida Law and Susan Brown (guest stars in The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, respectively) appear as well.

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Not necessarily.  The quality of the film just doesn't live up to its interesting story.

 

PC-wise – Maybe.  It's a good performance, and in a film with a lot of politics in it, it's fun to see PC playing a late-40s, suit-wearing Scotsman who's so different from Malcolm Tucker.

 

Warnings

 

Given the subject matter, there's a lot of discussion of war crimes, including torture, rape, and murder.  There's also two brief scenes of strong language.