One of my all time favorites.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

As I progressed through this movie I was caught off guard by some very ugly scenes . I knew the subject of incest could be awkward and harrowing but this movie seemed to celebrate and languish in the acts . The bleak landscape was only matched by the not so great murmurings of Mr Winstone . The movie did not touch on the perpetrators reasons or history ,etc for doing such things but rather made victims of its viewers ; forcing us to participate/ witness these horrific acts . It wasn't a " deep " movie with complicated , captivating characters or story lines , It was an irresponsible , irrelevant piece of movie making that limped on to find a story to tell. Next time Tim Roth feels like producing something like this , he should remember he's in the " entertainment " industry . A horrible movie that should never have been made .

In "The War Zone," First time director Tim Roth makes an impressive and smooth transition from being in front of the camera to behind it. A searing drama about incest, "The War Zone" is a brave debut by Roth. The subject matter is noncommercial, and Roth confronts it angrily, and without exploitation. Simply put, "The War Zone" is one of the best films of 1999.The film takes place in the rural Devon countryside, where a family of four has just moved from London. Events are related from the perspective of 15 year-old Tom (Freddie Cunliffe), who is unhappy with life away from the city. His 18 year-old sister, Jessie (Lara Belmont), has apparently adjusted better than he has. His parents (Ray Winstone, Tilda Swinton) seem happy and comfortable in their new home, and his mother is on the verge of delivering her third child. Then, shortly after the baby is born, Tom's world is turned upside down when he spies a covert sexual encounter between Jessie and his father. Tom confronts Jessie about the incident, but she denies it, accusing him of having an overactive imagination. He is not convinced, and sets out to learn the facts.Roth's direction is moody and austere--it emphasizes the simple details of domestic life and the ways in which families unwittingly collude to avoid the truth. He favors scenes that appear to be about nothing: Mum talking on the phone in the background, while in the foreground Dad bounces the new baby. He lingers on these uneventful moments -- as if to imply that such a genial routine can provide a smoke screen. One of the lingering questions is whether Swinton's character knows what's going on.While Roth's direction and Alexander Stuart's screenplay are integral to the film's success, the consistently high level of acting is of paramount importance. Roth has assembled an amazing quartet of actors, two of whom have not had previous screen experience, Freddie Cunliffe and Lara Belmont. The strength of Ray Winstone's performance is that he makes his character into a far more complex individual than the typical child abuser. With the exception of one scene, he is shown to be a loving, caring father and husband.The final shot of the film looks like a framed painting, the siblings huddled together alone in a bunker, held long enough that the pain and damage done to these children is apparent to everyone. When the credits begin to roll, you are almost powerless to move. A father who loves his children, and wants the best for them -- but can't stop himself from destroying what he cherishes most.

The very first thing you need to know about "The War Zone" is that the big secret involved Father-Daughter sex. What's the point of hiding this? The movie was a flop, whereas Kathryn Harrison's book on this subject, "The Kiss," was a multi-week best seller --- and twenty times better than this lame and ineffectual movie.First off, almost nothing happens for the first 70 minutes of this 90 minute movie. There's a family living in Devon (a beautiful place by the sea) but pretty dull, and some long for a return to the active life of London. Everyone (I mean everybody) simply mopes about and mumbles. Even at times like a car crash or the birth of a child it's all mope and all mumbles. So when the story finally gets started, it finishes up in 20 minutes flat. "The War Zone" offers absolutely nothing new on incest, the acting is next to zero -- what with the entire cast required to mumble all their lines, the cinematography just wasted.Roget Ebert said this was the best film at the Sundance Festival. But he also said he and Siskel "have an obligation" to give rave reviews to films that advance liberal causes and philosophy. One can only guess what he was thinking on this one. 2 out of 10.

Tim Roth is an excellent actor. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a variety of personas, taking on roles that are both challenging and intense. It is apparent that, as a director, he has the same talent. Tim Roth's first and only directorial effort to date, The War Zone, is a haunting picture of family. Featuring perfect acting, intense scenes, and an overall atmospheric darkness that coincides with the main themes, The War Zone is an excellent film. It is also one of the most difficult movies I've ever had the opportunity to watch.The film opens with Tom (played by Freddie Cunliffe), a teenage boy who is angry with his family for moving away from the city and into Middle of Nowhere, England. He misses London and he's not getting attention from his family because of his mother's (Tilda Swinton) pregnancy. Along with his mother, Tom lives with his father (Ray Winstone) and older sister, Jessie (Lara Belmont). Not long after the film begins, the mother's water breaks and the four of them make their way to the hospital. It is a dark, rainy night and, on the way, the father flips the car. Luckily, everyone is OK despite a few minor scrapes and bruises. Mum delivers the baby and the kids go home with Dad. The car accident is not mentioned again throughout the film, but it serves as a kind of foreshadowing of events to come. The normal schedule of life, interrupted by something startling, is the basis of this film.After Mum comes home and the baby settles into the home, things seem to go back to normal with this family. One day, however, Tom sees something disturbing. He and Mum and when they get back, Tom goes around to the side of the house and sees his father and sister in a position that looks a little too close for comfort. He confronts Jessie later, but she calls him a "perv" and says he didn't see what he thought he did. Tom is determined, though, and his search for the truth leads him to discovering the most horrible of family secrets and what unfolds is an emotional reckoning that no family should ever have to face.This is a devastating look into the degradation of a seemingly normal family and Tim Roth's direction shows that perfectly. Throughout the film, the entire atmosphere is dark and it is typically rainy. Even the beach, which is shown several times, looks like an unhappy place. The actors play each role to absolute perfection. Tilda Swinton is very good as the mother, a woman who is seemingly unaware of the terrible secret bubbling below the surface. Ray Winstone is terrifying as Dad, a father who seems very loving on the outside. On the inside, though, there is a monster waiting to attack. The two children are played by newcomers Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe. Tim Roth has said in interviews that these two were selected because of their fresh faces, the fact that the audience would know them as their characters instead of actors. This is very effective. Lara Belmont is heartbreaking as Jessie, a teenage girl forced to put up certain walls. This is one of the best performances I've ever seen from an actress of that age group. Without her, this film would not be what it is. Freddie Cunliffe is excellent as Tom, the boy who discovers the truth about his family and must decide what to do with his newfound knowledge.The War Zone is consistently bleak and is often relentless. It shows abuse for what it is: an unnecessary evil that affects the lives of everyone involved. This film is never a happy story. It is free of clichés and makes for some difficult viewing. If a person can get past that, though, The War Zone is a rewarding film experience. Tim Roth has accomplished something great here. I can't wait to see him do something else in the future.9/10