Spot-on Casting and Direction Make "Live From Baghdad" a Must See

The HBO film “Live From Baghdad” chronicles one of the most important moments of modern times, the advent of 24-hour news television. The story that started it all was the US attack on Baghdad in 1991 and the beginning of the Gulf War. The made-for-TV movie is well deserving of the three Golden Globe nominations it received as well as the seven other various awards it snagged, including three Emmys and a Director’s Guild of America award.
Right from the start, “Live From Baghdad” demands your undivided attention. The movie follows Robert Weiner, played by Michael Keaton, and his news team to Baghdad and Kuwait and through their many struggles to get interviews, powerful footage, and moving news stories. All of these trials and tribulations eventually culminate in “the journalistic equivalent to walking on the moon” – live coverage of the US airstrike on Baghdad.
Michael Keaton’s work as Robert Weiner is flawless, and he could not have asked for a better supporting cast consisting of Helena Bonham Carter, Joshua Leonard, Lili Taylor, David Suchet, and many more. John Papsidera won an Emmy for his casting and it is well deserved – the cast works well together and between the comedic jabs they toss around and the questionably romantic nature of the relationship between Robert Wiener and co-producer Ingrid Formanek they are a very convincing news crew. Another notable element of this movie is the score, which works immaculately with each and every scene.
Director Mick Jackson and writer Robert Wiener both deserve much credit for their impeccable use of real news footage from the time leading up to the Gulf War as part of their movie. For instance, when the crew manages to secure an interview with Saddam Hussein in the movie, rather than find an actor to play the part, they cut back and forth from Bernard Shaw, played by Robert Wisdom, and the actual news footage of the Saddam interview. Along with this interview there are many clips of President Bush’s speeches and even some real footage of Baghdad that are expertly intertwined into the movie plot.
What is most striking about “Live From Baghdad” is the relevance that it still holds today with the War on Terror. It gives an inside look at what reporters endure to deliver the news every day and also illustrates what a vital role the media has in political and diplomatic relations. Keaton repeats this phrase to David Suchet, playing Naji Al-Hadithi, many times throughout the movie, “People are going to die when the talking stops.” This phrase could not ring truer than in current times.
This movie is very well made and the cast is talented. Because of the subject matter, it is definitely worth seeing in the context of today’s political climate. Michael Keaton gives a memorable performance in “Live From Baghdad” and it is a movie that should not be missed.