3 Things to Know about ‘Brink of War,’ the Movie about Reagan, Gorbachev and the Cold War

The movie begins and ends in a remote corner of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, and the site of the historic summit between Reagan (Jeff Daniels) and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (Jared Harris), who had been chosen to lead his country only the year before.

Gorbachev wrote to Reagan in September 1986 proposing such a meeting, and Reagan agreed – and, incredibly, both sides organized the summit in a matter of weeks, with Reykjavík chosen for its remote location and security. The two sides met over the course of two days, Oct. 11-12, 1986.

The summit was expected to achieve little more than easing tensions, but it quickly took a dramatic turn when the two sides began discussing significant nuclear reductions – perhaps as much as 50 percent. The talks went even further when Gorbachev and Reagan entertained the possibility that the United States and Soviet Union could get rid of all their nuclear weapons – a stunning development that would have seemed almost unimaginable at the time. (The two sides then possessed a combined roughly 70,000 nuclear warheads, and the chance of an accidental, if not intentional, launch was real.) American and Soviet negotiators worked through the night on a proposal that could have changed world history. “We can leave America safer than we found her,” Reagan says in the film.

Much of the movie unfolds in the negotiating room with Reagan and Gorbachev, although it offers three other storylines that provide moments of levity: the media following Gorbachev’s wife, Raisa, as she tours Reykjavík; First Lady Nancy Reagan back in Washington talking to her husband by phone; and Soviet and American staffers working in Reykjavík separately on the proposal – even as they bicker over the differences between their two nations and, at one point, over the use of restrooms.

Photo Credit: ©Angel

We live in an age when it’s popular to talk about – and talk over – our political opponents, with most of the nightly dialogue on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC aimed more at scoring points than finding common ground. Genuine dialogue with the goal of understanding and compromise is rare, but that’s exactly what Brink of War spotlights.

Reagan had several goals in Reykjavík, including discussing Soviet human rights and the harsh treatment of religious and political dissidents. (He specifically mentions Jews and Pentecostals in the film.) Gorbachev had lofty goals, too, including persuading Reagan to slow or abandon the Strategic Defense Initiative – the system dubbed “Star Wars” in America that was designed to serve as a space-based shield against nuclear weapons.

The movie depicts the back-and-forth, point-counterpoint exchanges that are at the heart of such negotiations. Reagan wants SDI to protect the United States from future rogue threats – even if the Soviet nuclear arsenal is eliminated – while Gorbachev fears that SDI would allow the Americans to attack without fear of nuclear retaliation.

Eventually, the talks fall apart over a hangup involving a single word – “laboratory” – and the two sides walk to their cars disappointed. Still, the summit helped pave the way for a breakthrough treaty the following year that marked the first time two countries had agreed to reduce or eliminate nuclear weapons.

Such breakthroughs are possible when political enemies do something we too often have forgotten how to do: talk.

Photo Credit: ©Angel

Daniels and Harris are impressive in their respective roles, delivering believable performances that allow you to get lost in the story.

Still, the dialogue can be a bit confusing if you begin the movie knowing little to nothing about U.S.-Soviet relations – much less about things like SDI, ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles), and the European and Asian countries that formed the Western and Eastern blocs. My suggestion: Do five minutes of reading before you start.

The core facts in the film are accurate. The two sides really did come remarkably close to eliminating nuclear weapons. That single word – “laboratory” – really did derail the talks. Reagan was focused on human rights, and Gorbachev wouldn’t budge on SDI. And Nancy Reagan stayed home while Gorbachev’s wife attended.

But a few plot points take creative liberties. It’s easy to watch the film and assume 1986 marked the height of 1980s-era tensions, when those tensions actually peaked earlier in the decade – especially around 1983, when Reagan labeled the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” and the Soviets shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, killing all 269 people aboard, including 62 Americans, after reportedly mistaking it for a U.S. military aircraft. By 1986, tensions were beginning to thaw, especially with Gorbachev emerging as a more reform-minded Soviet leader and promoting perestroika (“restructuring”) and glasnost (“openness”). (The Soviet Union fell five years later.) Also, Gorbachev calls Jesus a “socialist” in the film, even though he made that comment several years later.

Still, Brink of War is an engaging film for history buffs and moviegoers who want to better understand what made Reagan – and, in a very different way, Gorbachev – such consequential leaders. If nothing else, it shows what can happen when political opponents sit down, listen, and actually talk to one another.

Brink of War is rated PG for language, thematic elements, and smoking. Language details: S–t (2), h-ll (4), d–n (1), p–-ed (3)

Entertainment rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Photo Credit: ©Angel