HOUSTON – What if the fate of the world came down to a conversation?
That’s the gripping question at the heart of The Brink of War, a new historical drama taking audiences back to one of the most consequential meetings of the Cold War — the 1986 Reykjavík Summit between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
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And bringing those two larger-than-life figures to the screen? Jeff Daniels as Reagan and Jared Harris as Gorbachev.
Set during the height of the Cold War, the film follows Reagan and Gorbachev as they meet in Iceland to negotiate nuclear disarmament.
The stakes couldn’t have been much higher. The two superpowers had massive nuclear arsenals, tensions were running high and both leaders were trying to determine whether they could find enough common ground to make a historic deal.
The film explores the complicated relationship between the two men — beginning with deep mistrust but gradually revealing a surprising degree of respect as they work through the possibility of a nuclear arms agreement.
The cast also includes J.K. Simmons as Secretary of State George Shultz, Hope Davis as Nancy Reagan and Branka Katić as Raisa Gorbacheva.
The Brink of War is now playing in theaters.
Tune into Houston Life at 1pm as Lauren Kelly chats with Jeff, Jared and writer/director Michael Russell Gunn all about how the film came together.