Unclear and Present Danger

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched Hostile Waters, a 1997 made-for-TV movie directed by David Drury and starring Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen and Max von Sydow. Hostile Waters — based on a real-life incident, the loss of the Soviet Navy’s K-219 — was a joint production of HBO and the BBC, released first in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It received good reviews from critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Hostile Waters takes place on October 1986, off the east coast of the United States. A Soviet ballistic missile submarine, the K‑219, collides with the American hunter-killer submarine USS Aurora. The impact ruptures a missile tube aboard the Soviet boat, triggering seawater to seep in—causing a violent chemical reaction, toxic gas buildup, and a fire that threatens the entire submarine and its nuclear warheads.You can find Hostile Waters to stream for free on YouTube, or you could rent it on Amazon Prime or Apple TV.In their next episode, Jamelle and John will watch the 1997 legal thriller Red Corner, directed by Jon Avnet and starring Richard Gere. Here is a brief plot synopsis:An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.And don’t forget our Patreon! In our latest episode, we watched the 1983 film Danton, a dramatization of one of the most turbulent moments in the French Revolution. You can sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/unclearpod.

Dive into the world of espionage as the tension builds around the infamous Carlos the Jackal and his cinematic depictions. Explore the 1997 thriller, 'The Assignment,' where a U.S. officer blurs the lines of identity while facing moral dilemmas. Reflect on the connections between historical political violence and today's housing issues, and how media narratives shape our understanding of terrorism. Discover the complexities of reintegrating societies post-conflict and the challenges they face in reconciling their pasts.

Dive into a web of political intrigue as a Secret Service agent grapples with a deadly presidential cover-up in a little-known thriller. The hosts dissect the complexities of U.S.-China relations, emphasizing the need for openness to foster stability. They tackle campaign finance reform and the impact of political machines on accountability. A critique of media representation during the Clinton era sheds light on gender dynamics and cultural narratives. Plus, a nostalgic look at Gen X's political cynicism and its cultural roots!

On this week's episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched The Peacemaker, a 1997 political action thriller directed by Mimi Leder and staring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.When a train carrying nuclear warheads crashes in rural Russia, nuclear specialist Dr. Julia Kelly is brought in by the U.S. government to investigate. She quickly discovers the incident was no accident, but part of a larger conspiracy to steal the warheads. Assigned to work with her is Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe, a brash U.S. Army intelligence officer who specializes in field operations.Together, Kelly and Devoe uncover a plot involving a rogue Russian general and a vengeful Yugoslav diplomat named Dusan Gavrić. Gavrić plans to detonate a nuclear bomb in New York City as a twisted act of personal vengeance and a misguided attempt at political "peace."As they chase the warheads across Europe, facing betrayals and dangerous obstacles, Kelly’s strategic thinking and Devoe’s action-driven instincts clash but ultimately complement each other. Their pursuit culminates in a high-stakes showdown in Manhattan, where they must stop Gavrić before he detonates the bomb in a crowded area. Risking everything, they race against the clock to prevent a catastrophic attack and avert a global crisis.The tagline for The Peacemaker was "Every nuclear device in the world has been accounted for...accept for one."You can find The Peacemaker to rent or purchase on Apple TV or Amazon Prime.Our next episode will be on Executive Power, a little-known political thriller directed by David L. Corley. Here is a brief plot synopsis.While protecting the U.S. President, Secret Service agent Nick Sager helps him to dispose of the body of a young girl, who accidentally died during an adulterous encounter. Some time later, a few weeks before the elections, the disillusioned ex-agent is approached by his former partner. The President’s former aide, and one of few people who knew about the cover-up, is found dead in mysterious circumstances.You can find Executive Power to rent on Amazon Prime.Our producer is Connor Lynch and our artwork is by Rachel Eck. You can reach out to us over email at unclearandpresentfeedback@fastmail.com

On this week's (somewhat delayed) episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by Matt Duss to discuss the 1998 conspiracy thriller Enemy of the State, directed by the late great Tony Scott and starring the late great Gene Hackman, as well as Will Smith, Jon Voight and Regina King.In their discussion, Jamelle, John and Matt talk the film's vision of the American surveillance state, its spiritual connection to The Conversation, Will Smith's superstar performance, and the ways the movie anticipated some of the political disputes of the post-9/11 era.The tagline for Enemy of the State was "It's not paranoia if they're really after you." You can find the film to rent or buy on Amazon.For the next episode of the podcast, Jamelle and John will watch The Peacemaker, a 1997 political thriller directed by Mimi Leder (of Pay It Forward and Deep Impact fame) and starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.And don’t forget about our Patreon! You can sign up at patreon.com/unclearpod. For just $5/month, you get two episodes on the films of the Cold War. Our next Patreon episode will be on The Conversation!Our producer is Connor Smith and our artwork is by Rachel Eck

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, we watched the 1997 action thriller Conspiracy Theory, directed by Richard Donner (which explains a lot) and starring Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart.In Conspiracy Theory, Gibson plays Jerry Fletcher, a cab driver who is consumed with all manner of conspiracies, using his captive audiences to share his ideas and delusions. He is fixated on Alice Sutton, played by Roberts, a Justice Department lawyer who tolerates him because he once saved her from a mugging. When Gibson is kidnapped by secretive government agents — led by the mysterious Dr. Jonas, played by Patrick Stewart — both he and Sutton become embroiled in a genuine conspiracy that centers on Fletcher’s mysterious past and raises difficult questions about the circumstances behind the murder of Sutton’s father.Conspiracy Theory was a hit, grossing a total of $137 million and displacing Air Force One at the box office. The critical response was mixed but not altogether negative, with most reviewers criticizing its script and plotting but ultimately holding it up as a serviceable thriller. The taglines for Conspiracy Theory were: “They knew too much.”“What you know could kill you.”“What if your most paranoid nightmares had just come true?”“Jerry Fletcher sees conspiracies everywhere. One has turned out to be true. Now his enemies want him dead. And she's the only one he can trust.”You can find Conspiracy Theory to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.Episodes of the main feed come out every two weeks, and so we’ll see you then with Enemy of the State, the 1998 conspiracy thriller starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman.And don’t forget about our Patreon! You can sign up at patreon.com/unclearpod. For just $5/month, you get two episodes on the films of the Cold War. As always, our producer is Connor Lynch and our artwork is by Rachel Eck.

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by Max Read — of the Max Read Substack — to talk Air Force One, the 1997 action thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring none other than Harrison Ford as The President. Air Force One also stars Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, Paul Guilfoyle, William H. Macy, Liesel Matthews and Dean Stockwell.In Air Force One, as I’m sure you know, the president’s aircraft is hijacked by a group of terrorists who demand the release of their country’s imprisoned dictator. Rather than flee for safety, President James Marshall decides to take things into his own hands, confronting the terrorists one by one in an attempt to retake his plane. You can find Air Force One to buy or rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. The tagline for Air Force One is “Harrison Ford is the President of the United States.”For our next episode, we will cover Richard Donner’s Conspiracy Theory, starring Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart.Be sure to sign up for our Patreon, where we watch the films of the Cold War and try to unpack them as political and historical documents! For $5 a month, you get two bonus episodes every month as well as access to the entire back catalog — we’re almost two years deep at this point. Sign up at patreon.com/unclearpod. 

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched Contact, the 1997 science-fiction drama directed by Robert Zemeckis. Based on the book by Carl Sagan, Contact stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, a SETI scientist who discovers extraterrestrial life and is eventually chosen to make first contact with the alien life. Foster is joined by a stacked cast of character actors, including Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, John Hunt, Rob Lowe and Angela Bassett. In their conversation, Jamelle and John discuss the distinctly neoliberal politics of the film as well as the extent to which Contact is a prominent example of the “end of history” utopianism that marked political and cultural life as the 1990s came to a close.You can find Contact to rent or purchase on Amazon or Apple TV.For the next episode of the podcast, Jamelle and John will watch Air Force One, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Harrison Ford as the president who punches. And don’t forget the Patreon, where they watch the political and military thrillers of the Cold War and talk about the politics of those decades! On the most recent episode of the Patreon, Jamelle and John watched the 1970 political drama WUSA. You can listen to that and more at patreon.com/unclearpod.Our producer is Connor Lynch and our artwork is by Rachel Eck.

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched Men in Black, the 1997 sci-fi action comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D’Onofrio and Rip Torn.Men in Black was written by Ed Soloman and shot by the late Donald Peterman — whose credits include Flashdance, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Point Break — with a score by Danny Elfman.In Men in Black, Smith plays James Darrell Edwards III, a New York City police officer who finds himself in chase through the city with a unnaturally fast and agile criminal, who later commits suicide. He soon learns that this criminal was an alien from another planet, and that New York is host to a secret government agency tasked with tracking alien lifeforms on Earth. He is recruited into the Men in Black by Agent K, and is deemed Agent J.Agents K and J are soon on the hunt for a Bug, an extra-terrestial cockroach who seeks “the galaxy,” a precious energy source that has been left on Earth. As the Bug, donning the skin of a human farmer, rampages through New York, K and J try to mitigate the damage and protect the galaxy, and the Earth itself, from the Bug.The tagline for Men in Black was “Protecting the Earth from the Sum of the Universe.”You can find Men in Black to stream on demand on Amazon Prime or for rent or purchase on Amazon and Apple TV.Be sure to sign up for our Patreon, where we watch the films of the Cold War and try to unpack them as political and historical documents! For $5 a month, you get two bonus episodes every month as well as access to the entire back catalog — we’re almost two years deep at this point. Sign up at patreon.com/unclearpod. The latest episode of our Patreon podcast is on Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

Dive into a thrilling mix of espionage and romance as Simon Templar, a master thief, navigates a complex web of political intrigue and personal relationships. The narrative uncovers the dark intentions of a billionaire oligarch while exploring themes of identity and power struggles. Beyond the film's plot, the discussion interweaves historical and contemporary political analyses, reflecting on how societal narratives shape perceptions. From the housing crisis to the influence of evangelicalism in politics, this dialogue offers profound insights into the intertwining of media and real-world events.