Expected more

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The Apartheid system in South Africa was one of the most brutal, unpleasant regimes to inflect Africa and the world. It lead the discrimination and holding back of the vase majority of South Africa for the privilege of the White minority. It isolated South Africa as a nation and forced one of the world's greatest leaders in prison for 27 years.In 1985 violence in South Africa is including, the townships are rioting and the South African security forces use force to stop them. In this background is Michael Young (Jonny Lee Miller), a senior employee of Consolidated Gold, a London based mining company. He sees that Apartiheid is a failing, dying system, and he wants to see its end. He goes on a mission, backed by his Chief Executive to bring the African National Congress, and the National Party (i.e. the white Boar party) together for secret talks in London. After struggling to find a moderate third party Young is able to recruit Will Esterhuyse (William Hurt), a philosophy professor who believes in the ideas of social justice. The ANC use Thabo Mbeki (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the then information director, as their chief negotiator. He is warned by the ANC Oliver Tambo (John Kani) that he must not tell anyone about the talks because there were forces within the South African security services and extremists with the ANC who want the talks to fail. Within the National camp the President of South Africa P.W. Botha (Timothy West) tries to use the talks to keep his own presidency going. He uses his intelligence services chief Dr Barnard (Mark Strong) to use the talks to find out how the ANC function and try and split the ANC in two. Barnard tries to woo Nelson Mandela (Clarke Peters), trying to make him more important again and therefore split the leadership and the followers.This was a well-crafted thriller, with a good script focusing on action in both England and South Africa. It clearly shows who the main players are makes Mbeki, Tambo, Mandela and Esterhuyse into well rounded characters. Esterhuyse was a particularly interesting character. There are some very talented actors in Endgame. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a very talented actor, I could watch him in anything and again he is in good form. William Hurt was a surprising casting choice, but he pulls of his role and the South African accent well. He is the most conflicted character in Endgame. Jonny Lee Miller offers a decent performance as slightly wet Michael Young who is trying to improve the lives of South Africans. Mark Strong, another talented actor was decent, but was pretty much playing the smart role as he did in Body of Lies. I also thought Timothy West was pretty good as Nelson Mandela.The problem with Endgame is the direction by Pete Travis. The type of camera used and the way it was shot made it look like someone was using small portable camera. The camera was shaking about for all the scenes, being very distracting and needless. I was thinking use a tripod for God sake. This was a film that should have been filmed in a conventional way, like many political thrillers or like an episode of the West Wing. The only moment of real directional flair showing the scene when a ANC car is bombed. As well the film is so focused on the talks like a laser that there is no look at the wider context. Of course most the audience should know about the events of Apartiheid, but there could have shown the affects of sanctions, the system on the people, the violence, the international situation and most importantly the political negotiations with the camps. The South African government was particularly ignored. Events in the film just happened with any explanation at all which is distracting.However this is a worthy watch about an important topic.

Story of the negotiations that brought an end to Apartheid in South Africa. Very good film with a great performance from Jonny Lee Miller, who is complimented by saying"It takes a great man to change the world and remain in the shadows". Miller plays the man who makes it all happen so all of the bigger names can get together and agree to change things. I liked the film, but on a certain level its a bit too much news footage like. Its emotional and touching and tense but there is also a certain amount of distance. too much if you ask me and I was never completely gripped. Still its worth a look if you want to see what it took to change a country.

Shot in a manner very resonant of Frost/Nixon with outstanding editing Endgame is a fittingly unsentimental and very nicely played drama of the last days and brinkmanship of the apartheid negotiations in South Africa.With competent performances from all involved this is not overacted but rather relies on the relationships and the materials. Cutting between South Africa and the UK it tells the story of the two sides: the Afrikaans government on the one, and the ANC and Pan-African parties on the other. How they came to find a path in what was probably the most volatile of all post-colonial politics to not lead to civil war is the story. Through the efforts of an Afrikaans philosophy professor (William Hurt) and a British troubleshooter for the gold mines (Johnny Lee Miller, who is in excellent form, less manic suits him very well indeed) the players first arrange to meet, meet, and work through the issues. Filmed in South Africa (A lot of outdoor shots) and the UK, this has more story than you'd think on first sight. It has some action scenes, but in the main it is a nicely poised political drama.The film scores points for exceptional use of camera and again I have to mention the editing which is outstanding: rarely missing a beat and playing its focus on both the players and the reactions this is a first-class lesson is how film editing can make the story better and worth watching on that basis alone if film-making is your thing.For those of us who remember the marches, the cause, and Mandela walking through the prison gates with Winnie, this films not only gives meat to the bones of the background to that history; it is evocative without being sentimental.This is a film that needed to be made; and I for one wish that we could see more of this ilk - it is a strong reminder of the best that humans are capable of.

Well-scripted and cast this made-for-TV drama would have to work hard to be ineffective. William Hurt, as a liberal Afrikaner university professor Esterhuyse bosses the drama. Thrown inbetween the ANC and Botha's implacable government as a way of coaxing talks into life he also has to withstand the insidious advances of insiders with other agendas. Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mbeki is an earnest character here but for reasons either of performance or historical reproduction he seems strangely marginal. Much more impressive is the (scarily similar) Mandela of Clarke Peters, played as a graceful man two steps ahead of whatever game he's introduced to.There's a host of other cameos - I particularly liked Timothy West's Botha - which fill out the story. It's a competent production, albeit fighting an occasionally losing battle with period detail in central London (21st century buses and entryphone systems in 1985). Somerset looks beautiful too. It can be a bit cursory with the dangers a bit - the stakes that the 'players' face - but there's a lot to cram in. Above all one gets the sense of men trying to resolve things with a decorousness that must be the example for the ensuing national democracy. Stirring stuff. 7/10