Seven Days in May (1964)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March
Synopsis:
An aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff alerts the President to a possible plot to overthrow the government by a faction dissatisfied with a nuclear disarmament treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Impressions:
I find myself a bit divided on this film. It's a well-crafted, well-acted and taut political thriller, but it's rather heavy-handed with its message, a message I'm not entirely onboard with. On the acting front, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Fredric March deliver strong performances that are well worth seeing. Ava Gardner is pretty good too, but her subplot doesn't really go anywhere, which makes her character feel more like a distraction and/or a red herring. If you like high-level conspiracy stories, there's a lot to like here, but you may find your political sensibilities rubbed the wrong way. Sidestepping the politics, though, it's entirely worth watching.
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