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Special Section

1975 · 110 min

A cold, methodical descent into bureaucratic evil, watching ordinary men rationalize the unthinkable with chilling calm.

Directed by
Costa-Gavras
Genres
Drama, History, Thriller
Starring
Louis Seigner, Michael Lonsdale, Claude Piéplu
Overview
In Nazi-occupied France, a German officer is assassinated. The Germans demand justice, and the Vichy government is quick to capitulate. Unable to apprehend the actual culprits, Minister of Justice Joseph Barthélémy decides the execution of token Frenchmen will suffice, but the problem is finding judges and jurors eager to participate in a sham trial of innocent men. The solution is a Special Section, a court comprised of individuals handpicked for this exact purpose.

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Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Costa-Gavras
Genres
Drama, History, Thriller
Starring
Louis Seigner, Michael Lonsdale, Claude Piéplu
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • justice
  • corruption
  • power
  • morality
  • betrayal
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour1
Realism9
Romance0
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, history, thriller
Directed by
Costa-Gavras
Written by
Jorge Semprún, Costa-Gavras
Starring
Louis Seigner, Michael Lonsdale, Claude Piéplu, Pierre Dux, Heinz Bennent, Michel Galabru, Roland Bertin, Hans Richter
Music
Éric Demarsan
Cinematography
Andréas Winding
Runtime
110 min
Country
France, Germany, Italy
Languages
English, German, French

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