Ground Zero Film - Movie Review Example

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Academic film review

Michael Pattison and Bruce Myles prepared a lot in the movie Ground Zero which was filmed in 1987. A lot can be revealed from a movie in as much it is created for entertainment. The mood in the setting gets everyone emotionally attached to the film, which helps one relate to what is happening in life. More so, there is clear evidence that the government hides a lot from its citizens even though it encourages transparency and integrity. Justice is a human right, but do all human beings receive the perceived justice? How much information is the government hiding and would do anything to make sure that it remains underground? Finally, what happens to the civilian who figures catches the rat? Ground zero film has depicted so many themes and lessons. Also, it relates so much to our lives today.

Harvey Denton is a family man, but who is separated from her marriage. He visits his son occasionally, but it is clear that he does not stay with them. When he visits his son in the evening right from work, his wife Pat asks him to leave because the child has a school in the morning. Weekends are always open for him to visit, but he could be obsessed with his job. Harvey's father died in 1953, he was a videographer, just like his son Harvey. He died during the bombing caused by an airplane, which caused too much radiation that caused peoples' lives. Harvey's father took a lot of films, and from the movie, it is clear that he loved his son. Perhaps that's why his son walked on the same path of videography.

I was shocked to know that what we perceive or made to believe is not always the truth. Most especially when Harvey found out that his father's death was not an accident but a murder, but he had believed that for many years without doubting or suspecting anything. When the government was faced a court appeal about the Maralinga people who died and were left without justice, that is what triggered the whole curiosity. All evidence rotates around him. He has been holding it unaware that what he has is a volcano that can erupt at any time and cause chaos.

Harvey's studio was raided, some of his films went missing. I would not be surprised if one videographer's studio is broken into; they have all the evidence, capture details that the witnesses cannot attest. However, curiosity was created when Harvey’s studio was raided; his father's videos were taken. But why would someone take old tapes that people have already forgotten about? Coincidentally, someone broke into the British Nuclear Test Lab and stole some "classified documents" that the government would not talk about. However, there is no connection with Harvey's father's tapes. Or is there? Luckily, Harvey could not let go of the tape. He valued the tapes so much that he could do anything to get them back.

A little information can lead to a mega-fire outbreak. Little hints create curiosity in the minds of human beings and can trigger discovery. However, some people may not realize how much chaos they cause for realizing a tiny bit of information—getting the tapes resulted in a bigger mess that no one would have anticipated. He was able to trace them and go for them. Harvey spotted one of the men he recognized. But that only ended him at a corner with guns pointed at him. Who are these people? Harvey was taken to a government agency where Mr. Trebilcock, a commanding officer, introduced himself to Harvey. He held a high position in the government. He had more information about Harvey, more than Harvey knew. And that's when he told him the truth with evidence. Contradictory, he asked him not to snoop around and leave the matter to him. He didn't know that he was inciting Harvey to dig up the truth about his father.

I was fascinated at Harvey's keen eye and curiosity that drives him to uncover what is underground. Harvey was smart, he knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get it. No matter what it took, he was going to find out the truth. Even if he had to play tricks on a Reddit and put his job in jeopardy, he knew how to look for details that most people would not have noticed. He found a highly classified document in an encrypted system.

Further, he was able to connect the dots by following the trail. The little things that looked meaningless lined up tiles on his path. It reminded me of "Trifles," a play by Susan Glaspell, she revealed that the trifles could solve a mystery, but people disregard them. Trebilcock took Harvey’s tape but did not see any connection to the case. However, Harvey got his way to the truth from the video.

The government always to hid something from its citizens. Even when it encourages transparency most of the time, they do not give a logical explanation to the explanation. When the evidence revels, as long as it poses a public threat, it is disregarded in the court. In the court, the evidence by the victims in the court was never considered. Even though the narrations were clear about the chaotic incident in Maralinga was chaotic. When Walemari, the defendant lawyer, saw Harvey, he wished his father was alive, claiming, "We are only tribesmen, if we only can find more people from the incidence... any minute detail can help us." He was losing the case, all the evidence he had was overthrown, and he was on the verge of losing hope. Lucky for his, he met someone determined to figure out the truth and bring it to light.

It is hard to know who to trust, especially in a twisted position. Harvey could trust Trebilcock or Walemari. But he was smart; all he needed was to use their resources as a ladder to get to his destination. However, trust is important, and it misguides you or leads you to the light. However, if I was in such a situation, I would trust no one. They both worked for the government. But they both looked like they had different agendas. How would he know who was right? However, it is important to play the cards right. Use the resources you have, but be careful not to get played. Somehow, the truth was better kept to Harvey's self. Someone he trusted betrayed him, and his tape was destroyed. In the process, he almost lost his life. Only three people knew about the tape, his wife pat, Walemari, and Trebilcock,, but one wanted to get rid of the tape. But who could be the traitor?

Betrayal is common, especially when a significant piece of information needs to be hidden. All the same, lies arise from secrets, leading to betrayal. The British government used all their power to protect a piece of information, not realizing that it was betraying other human beings. For instance, Maralinga village citizens lost their lives when the plane crashed, emitting radiation to the entire environment. However, it is clear from the ancient films that it was not an accident, but rather, an experiment by the British military.

Nevertheless, the government could not tell the story because it did not want the population to uncover its failure and go against it. The affected people never got justice—even those who lived like Prosper Gaffney, whose voice box was damaged in the experiment and left crippled. Further, Charlie, another tribesman from Maralinga, was blinded by the explosion. The two men isolated themselves, what they knew was dangerous for the government. Thus, they were forced to hide back in Maralinga.

Having a backup plan is a vital move, especially when one is taking a dangerous road. Things can go south, and it is never easy to predict the outcome when too many people with conflicting interests are involved. Pat asked Harvey to leave him a copy of the tape just for precaution. Thus, she foreshadowed for the movie. However, it was hard to tell whether she wanted the tape for legitimate purposes or her career. The tape was not complete; it left everyone who watched it with suspense. So, it was valueless to the jury. Fortunately, there was another part that completed it, only that the other piece was not accessible to most people, except those who badly needed it. The whole scenario reminded me of what happens in the government today, which hides most of the information from its citizens. And whoever finds out the truth, ends up dead. From where I come from, corruption covers for their mistakes by bribing people. However, the situation with Harvey was different. It was about his father.

Fear dictates fate and predict actions. Most people use fear as an excuse to justify their actions. Fear can determine how much information needs to be released. Fear is depicted when Gaffney and Charlie are forced to live in Maralinga; an area considered hazardous because of the radioactive rays that were emitted in the 1953 plane crash. Moreover, Pat fears Harvey's life when he goes to Maralinga in search of the "box." He is also worried about his wife Pat and the child because they are tangled in a mess, and he asks Pat not to walk alone. However, Harvey is not afraid. He was willingly going to do what it takes to find out the truth about his dad. Even if it meant going to people, he did not know. When he met Gaffney, who used an electrolarynx, he remembered the hidden message he had left. It is revealed that Gaffney was Harvey's father's friend. He was their when he was murdered.

Nevertheless, he never reviewed that part of the information even when he was in front of the jury. He was afraid for his life. Anyone who knew anything about the 1953 bombing plane crash was dispensable. However, when he met Harvey, he withheld the truth from him even though he helped him get to the box.

Revealing the truth is never an easy trick. Some people get hurt while others benefit. Also, government agents hide so much information from their citizens to protect themselves or the citizens. However, the parties involved can do anything to prevent it from coming out, including inducing someone to end their life. Finally, the cat was outside the bag when the black box was found. The tape bore all the evidence. However, I was mesmerized at how the government knew where to find Harvey. The information in the box was too classified for a civilian to handle. The government was careful not to let the public know what they had hidden for a long time. When the truth is uncovered, there is always an establishment of massive destruction, such as sacrifices, deaths, and broken trust. Gaffney sacrificed his life for the truth. He chose to die so that Harvey would get a chance to cross the border and present the evidence in the court.

It is breathtaking how Ground Zero uses a rat as a symbol in the movie. When the film starts, there were so many rats in Harvey's studio, which influenced him to buy rat traps. Thus, it represented all the secrets that the government hid from people. Also, the rats could symbolize all the evidence he held in his studio. All the tapes he had provided loopholes for him to uncover the truth. All the rats died once all the truth was revealed despite the authorities' effort to hide the evidence. He still got hold of it. He was shocked by what his dad had found out. But he was killed to bury the truth.

In conclusion, Ground Zero has depicted many themes. It has also related so much to what is happening to many states. The government is shady; there is always something in the closet. And the government would do anything to cover it up. However, the hungry will always uncover it—no matter what cost they have to pay.