The Brink of War (2026) Angel/Drama RT: 117 minutes Rated PG (language, thematic elements) Director: Michael Russell Gunn Screenplay: Michael Russell Gunn Music: Austin Wintory Cinematography: Magdalena Gorka Release date: August 14, 2026 (US) Cast: Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, J.K. Simmons, Hope Davis, Branka Katic, Aya Cash, Guy Burnet, John Ross Bowie, Adrian Rawlins, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Vladimir Kulich, Stephen Brennan.
Rating: *
Time is relative. It doesn’t tick at the same rate for everybody. This is especially true when it comes to movies. The three hours I spent watching The Odyssey just flew by. Time stopped altogether with The Brink of War, a deathly dull political drama about the 1986 Reykjavik Summit. It’s the most insufferable film of its kind since The Wizard of the Kremlin.
Show of hands, who knows what the Reykjavik Summit is? Hmmm, okay, that’s not a lot. In October 1986, then-President Ronald Reagan sat down with then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in remote Iceland to discuss complete nuclear disarmament with the objective of ending the Cold War. The main point of contention between the two leaders was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a shield in space that would protect America from a Soviet attack. The talks collapsed at the last minute over a single point, but it was the beginning of the end of the USSR. Now you know.
It could have made for a fascinating film, but The Brink of War is about as interesting as chopped beef in the hands of writer-director Michael Russell Gunn. It is a slog from start to finish. It was a struggle to stay awake. I came close to nodding off a few times, but I never surrendered even though I knew it would be a better use of my time. The jury is still out on whether this counts as a victory. Whatever dream I might have had would probably have been more entertaining.
There is so much wrong with The Brink of War I hardly know where to start. Oh, wait a minute. Yes I do! Jeff Daniels is horribly miscast as Reagan. He doesn’t look like the former President. He doesn’t sound like him either. No, not even when he says “well” (more than once). It’s not just that. I, like a lot of others I suspect, can never unsee a certain scene in Dumb and Dumber. You know the one I mean. It’s the one Daniels became famous (or infamous) for. It lingers in the memory like the time the kid at the desk right next to you barfed during English class in middle school. But I digress. Daniels, ordinarily a decent actor, just doesn’t cut it here.
Jared Harris shows a little life as Gorbachev. He’s a great actor. He did a wonderful job as Andy Warhol in the true crime drama I Shot Andy Warhol (1996). He’s one of the better things about The Brink of War. He actually resembles the Soviet leader. He does a decent Russian accent too. Hope Davis (About Schmidt) shows up in a thankless role as Nancy Reagan. Here’s the funny thing. She actually looks more like Hilary Clinton. I didn’t buy her as Nancy at all.
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) is okay as Secretary of State George Schultz, but he doesn’t get a lot to do here. What’s even weirder is that the film is dedicated to him at the end. Okay, he may have orchestrated the meeting, but he does little more than hang around and give instructions to a group of advisors. I’m sure the real-life Schultz did more than that in real life.
The pacing isn’t the only thing off about The Brink of War. The look of it is bad too. It looks cheap like the producers cut every cost they could. The score by Austin Wintory is heavy-handed and intrusive. The cinematography by Magdalena Gorka is flat and uninteresting. The story clumsily cuts between the talks and other business like the tension between the CIA and KGB in the room downstairs. Gunn does nothing with it. He does likewise with the two journalists peppering Mrs. Gorbachev (Katic, Big Love) with questions. Why mention it if you’re not going to do anything of note with it?
Now let’s address the elephant in the room. The Brink of War is an Angel Studios release. What does that mean? It means exactly what you think. It’s less of a film than a piece of right-wing propaganda with a hagiographic vision of the 40th President. It’s as bad as the 2024 biopic Reagan in that respect. The difference is Dennis Quaid was at least convincing in the title role. I’m not necessarily against such films; I just think audiences should know what they’re in for should they decide to see it. I strongly recommend against it. It’s a bad movie. No, it’s a horrible movie. I’d say it’s one of the year’s worst.
