Deadline (1987 film)

Deadline is a 1987 war drama film directed by Nathaniel Gutman. It stars Christopher Walken as American journalist Don Stevens, who is set up amidst the Lebanese Civil War and is fed false information. An international co-production of Israel, the United States, and West Germany, the film was shot in Israel and was released in some countries under the title Witness in the War Zone.

Deadline
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nathaniel Gutman
Written by	Hanan Peled
Produced by	Elisabeth Wolters-Alfs
Starring	Christopher Walken Hywel Bennett Marita Marschall
Cinematography	Thomas Mauch Amnon Salomon
Edited by	Peter Przygodda
Music by	Hans Jansen Jacques Zwart
Production companies	Creative Film[1] Caro Film[1]
Distributed by	Virgin Vision (United States) 20th Century Fox[1] (Germany)
Release date	2 July 1987 (1987-07-02) (West Germany)
Running time	100 minutes
Countries	Israel United States West Germany
Language	English
Box office	$141,211 (US)[2]

Plot

Ace Reporter Don Stevens (Christopher Walken) is an American journalist who goes to Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. He stays in a hotel with English journalist Mike Jessop. He is promised an interview with a top PLO leader, Palestinian Yassin Abu-Riadd (Amos Lavi). However, this proves to be a set-up and he is duped into interviewing an impostor who claims the PLO are prepared to negotiate peacefully.

Outraged by this deception, Stevens becomes determined to find out the truth. In this quest he is helped by a Scandinavian doctor, Linda, who it emerges is Yassin's estranged girlfriend. Along the way, Stevens is hindered by everyone around him: The PLO threaten him, the Phalangists arrest him and the Israelis ignore him. Tricked and beaten, he gradually uncovers a murder plot, double agents, the bombing of the Phalangists headquarters and, most terrifying of all, a plan to massacre hundreds of civilians. In a story that takes the lid off events in Lebanon, Don Stevens becomes a reluctant hero, and in doing so, gets the scoop of a lifetime.

Cast

• Christopher Walken as Don Stevens
• Marita Marschall as Linda Larsen
• Hywel Bennett as Mike Jessop
• Arnon Zadok as Hamdi Abu-Yussuf
• Amos Lavi as Yassin Abu-Riadd
• Etti Ankri as Samira
• Martin Umbach as Bernard
• Moshe Ivgy as Abdul
• Sasson Gabai as Bossam

Reception

Awards

Christopher Walken won the Magnolia Award for "Best Actor" at the Shanghai Television Festival.

See also

Sabra and Shatila massacre