Under Fire

Under Fire is set in Nicaragua in 1979, during the final weeks of the Somoza dictatorship, as Sandinista rebels close in on the government. Three American journalists are caught up in the conflict: Russell Price, a photographer; Alex Grazier, a colleague; and Claire, a radio journalist. As they report on the fighting, the three grow entangled both professionally and personally, and Price finds his detachment tested by the contrast between the world of Somoza's supporters and the hardships endured by everyone else. He is pushed toward taking a side, a choice that puts the journalists in danger and forces them to hide from the army.

Roger Spottiswoode directed the film, the second of the fourteen features he has made, following Terror Train and preceding Shoot to Kill. Ron Shelton and Clayton Frohman wrote the screenplay, and Jonathan T. Taplin produced it for Orion Pictures. Nick Nolte plays Russell Price, with Gene Hackman as Alex Grazier and Joanna Cassidy as Claire. Ed Harris, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Richard Masur appear in supporting roles.

The film runs 128 minutes. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from roughly 9,600 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.7 out of 10 from about 190 votes. A critics' rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 21 reviews is close to the audience scores on both platforms, indicating a broadly similar level of approval.