Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 3
‘The Brink of War’ Debuts Aug. 14, Revisiting the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev Reykjavik Summit
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 3

‘The Brink of War’ Debuts Aug. 14, Revisiting the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev Reykjavik Summit

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 3

Summary

  • Aug. 14 marks the theatrical debut of “The Brink of War,” a film centered on Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Reykjavik meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev.
  • Director Michael Gunn said declassified transcripts and hours of interviews with former Secretary of State George Shultz shaped the script, which focuses on how the two leaders built trust during nuclear arms talks.
  • No final deal emerged in Iceland, but the summit set up later meetings and helped pave the way for the INF Treaty, which eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons.
  • Jeff Daniels plays Reagan, Jared Harris plays Gorbachev and J.K. Simmons plays Shultz in a film Gunn says aims to show today’s leaders that sustained dialogue can still reduce conflict.

Insights

Could a seemingly failed 1986 nuclear summit hold the secret to surviving today's expiring arms treaties and rising global tensions?
What hidden Cold War secrets did George Shultz's declassified transcripts reveal about the tense negotiations between Reagan and Gorbachev?