The Second Civil War

Summary

Note: This review is solely of the film itself which I viewed digitally. The film has not yet received a Blu-ray release.

“Most of them are over the age of 75; statistically, most of them will be dead before the next election.”

In the Nineties, HBO Pictures created movies that would run stateside on television but would run theatrically overseas. These films had healthy budgets and were shot on film. The films made by HBO Pictures from this period – films like The Late Shift, A Bright Shining Lie, The Pentagon Papers, and The Second Civil War – have sadly not been given a proper Blu-ray release or even been added to the streaming service of HBO Max. This is a missed opportunity by HBO to capitalize on these properties that they already produced and a disservice to the hard work that was put into these films that helped define HBO in the Nineties and earned HBO several Emmys along the way. Joe Dante, after directing the movie Runaway Daughters for the anthology show Rebel Highway, directed the film The Second Civil War. The Second Civil War is a political satire with dramatic elements. The film has an absolutely incredible cast and is one of Joe Dante’s favorite projects from his career. He occasionally showcases the film to audiences from a 35mm print and it is a shame that the film is not as readily available as it deserves to be. After our interview I purchased the film on Amazon’s Prime Video service, so if you are seeking it out, that is a good route to be able to view the picture.

Sometime in the Near Future – At News Net, Mel Burgess (Dan Hedaya) directs his news room. In Boise, Idaho, Governor Jim Farley (Beau Bridges) announces that he will be closing the borders of Idaho and will use force if necessary. A nuclear blast in Pakistan from Indian missiles has led to a refugee crisis. A charity plans to import orphaned children from the blast into the country and deliver them into Idaho. Governor Farley has taken a strong anti-immigration stance and wants to keep his borders closed to the orphans. He is hypocritically also carrying out an affair with a Mexican-born news anchor for News Net named Cristina (Elizabeth Peña.) The U.S. President (Phil Hartman) listens to his advisors including an image man named Jack Buchan (James Coburn.) The President and his men design all of their news releases and mandates to comply with people’s soap opera schedule to maximize his chances of reelection. Meanwhile, Mel does more than direct his news room, he increases pressure on the charity helping the orphans to escalate the conflict and actually put the children on buses to arrive at the border. When the children arrive at the border, the news men (Denis Leary and Dick Miller) film. As the national guard arrive from different states on the Idaho border, the President issues a 67 and a 1/2 hour mandate to Governor Farley and the state of Idaho to comply with opening their borders or face action.

The Second Civil War is a strong entry in Joe Dante’s filmography. The cast of the film is incredible – Phil Hartman, Dan Hedaya, Denis Leary, Dick Miller, James Coburn, Beau Bridges, James Earl Jones, Joanna Cassidy, Kevin McCarthy, and more. The script itself by Martyn Burke is interesting and fashions a “future” where immigration has exploded and shaped politics. One of the most prescient aspects of the film is the way the film predicts that just a few years laters immigration would become an incredibly divisive political issue in our country. The film works diligently to mix satire with drama, but I did feel like the mix in the film of those elements can be a little uneasy at times – possibly because parts of the film strike a chord that seems a bit too close to home with the times we are currently living through. Some of the satirical elements have definitely come to fruition in our lifetime while thankfully some of the others have not.

The direction by Dante is as capable as one would expect and he draws solid performances from his cast. It was sad watching the film and seeing so many great actors that are no longer with us. I loved watching Phil Hartman on SNL as a kid and it was fun to see him play the President. Beau Bridges is perfectly cast as the Idaho governor. He looks and feels like a real politician and makes the role his own. 

The film is definitely going to be of interest to any fan of Joe Dante’s film work and fans of films like Dr. Strangelove, Wag the Dog, and In the Loop. I hope that at some point we can get this film on Blu-ray.

Overall – 4/5

The Second Civil War is one of Joe Dante’s personal favorite films that he made. The film has an incredible cast and a solid script. It felt amazing to see Phil Hartman, Beau Bridges, and James Coburn acting together. The film at times is challenging in how it attempts to blend satire and drama, but that is a minor gripe given how enjoyable it is overall. The film has held up well due to the topic of immigration continuing to be a hot-button issue in our political landscape. Fans of political satires and Joe Dante’s films should seek this one out.