Z

Unbearably thrilling political thriller. Hyper-kinetic editing. Blink and you miss.

All of the elements of the police procedural that are clichés today originate here. This is a flat-out masterpiece from Costa-Gavras. Just get over that it's set in Greece but everyone speaks French. It doesn't matter. As a denunciation of fascism, this is both hilarious and depressing.

And for film buffs, please note how the flashbacks are structured. Barely a few seconds, and yet they propel the film forward.

If you watch this at home, insist on a rule. No interruptions or pee breaks. You can't just stop a roller-coaster just because you have a pause button.

Oh, and over the closing credits, the translations lame out. They are hilariously spectacularly satiric in French, and just odd in English.

(The review is deliberately not talking about content. You are better off going into this movie without knowing anything.)