Costa-Gavras’ 1969 movie Z opens with a twist on the standard disclaimer: “Any similarity to real persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL.”
A quick search of Wikipedia turns up the story behind the film. Greek anti-war activist Grigoris Lambrakis was assassinated by two far-right extremists in 1963, as detailed in the 1967 novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos. The event is apparently pretty much what is depicted in the film.
Costa-Gavras is best known here for his 1982 Academy Award-winning film Missing (starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek). Like Z and most of Costa-Gavras’ other films, it’s a political story involving the search for a missing journalist amid a coup d’état in Chile.
Similarly, Z opens with a sense of foreboding. The hall where an anti-war demonstration is planned loses its permit. And the anti-war activists get the runaround from authorities, who steer them to a small venue despite expectations of a large crowd. The police seem uninterested in keeping the peace. All the pieces fall into place for a confrontation.
Much of the time, Z feels like a documentary — with a handheld camera, long and uninterrupted scenes shot on location — which draws you deeper into the story. The exceptions are several flashbacks involving the ill-fated Deputy (Yves Montand), which add a bit of depth to the Deputy character, but seem a bit out of place with the rest of the film.
In a lot of ways, it’s a timeless movie that could have been made today. The version streaming on the Criterion Channel is excellent, with crisp images and realistic colors. And the topic — corrupt politicians and cover-ups — remains disappointingly pertinent.