The Brink of War

The Brink of War
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Russell Gunn
Written byMichael Russell Gunn
Produced by
  • Michael Russell Gunn
  • John Logan Pierson
Starring
CinematographyMagdalena Górka
Edited by
  • Mike Sale
  • Laura Yanovich
Music byAustin Wintory
Production
companies
Distributed byAngel Studios
Release date
  • August 14, 2026 (2026-08-14)
Running time
117 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5 million[2]

The Brink of War is a 2026 American historical political drama film written and directed by Michael Russell Gunn in his feature directorial debut. Set during the Reykjavík Summit, it stars Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, Hope Davis, Branka Katić, and J. K. Simmons.

The film was released on August 14, 2026, and received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In October 1986, during the Cold War, United States President Ronald Reagan travels to Reykjavík, Iceland, to meet Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for talks on nuclear arms. The film opens near the end of the summit, with Reagan telling Secretary of State George Shultz that he has failed to secure what he considers an extraordinary agreement because Gorbachev is walking away over "a single word". The story then moves back 72 hours to the beginning of the negotiations.

Reagan and Gorbachev meet at Höfði, where Reagan initially raises the Soviet Union's treatment of dissidents and asks Gorbachev to allow the sister of Soviet-born cellist Mstislav Rostropovich to visit her brother in the United States. Gorbachev instead surprises Reagan by proposing a 50 per cent reduction in the two countries' nuclear arsenals.

Reagan supports the proposal but argues that they should go further, eventually suggesting the elimination of their nuclear arsenals altogether. The negotiations consequently expand far beyond the limited arms-control discussions originally anticipated. Although the two leaders remain deeply suspicious of one another, each discovers that the other is prepared to consider reductions that their respective advisers had not expected.

Their discussions repeatedly broaden into arguments over the competing political systems of the United States and Soviet Union. Reagan condemns the imprisonment of Soviet dissidents and restrictions on individual freedom. Gorbachev counters by citing homelessness, high murder rates and the history of racism in the United States. When Reagan refers to Soviet citizens being punished for opposing their government, Gorbachev observes that Reagan's own opponents are sufficiently free to shoot him, referring to the 1981 assassination attempt.

The shooting continues to affect Reagan privately. He examines the scar left by the attack and experiences lingering trauma associated with it, while regarding his survival as reinforcing his sense that he has a purpose to fulfil.

Outside the negotiations, Raisa Gorbacheva attracts considerable press attention during public appearances, including a visit to the Blue Lagoon. Nancy Reagan, who remained in the United States, regrets her decision not to accompany her husband. An American radio reporter and the other Western journalists in Reykjavík find it difficult to obtain substantive information about the negotiations because they are kept away from the principals. KGB and Secret Service personnel are stationed around Höfði House as the talks continue.

Reagan and Gorbachev eventually move close to an agreement involving unprecedented reductions in nuclear weapons. Their principal remaining disagreement concerns the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), Reagan's proposed missile-defence programme. Gorbachev argues that an effective American defensive system would upset the nuclear balance between the countries and insists that SDI research be restricted.

Gorbachev agrees to the wider arms-reduction proposals only if American SDI work remains confined to the laboratory for ten years. Reagan refuses, arguing that he cannot abandon research into a system intended to defend the United States from nuclear attack. Neither leader is willing to compromise.

The narrative returns to the scene shown at the beginning of the film, revealing that "laboratory" is the single word preventing an agreement. Despite having come close to a settlement that could lead to the elimination of their nuclear arsenals, Reagan and Gorbachev allow the negotiations to collapse over SDI.

Before leaving, Reagan returns to the humanitarian request with which he began the summit and again asks Gorbachev to allow Rostropovich's sister to visit her brother in the United States. Gorbachev agrees. The two leaders shake hands, and the final spoken word of the film is "deal".

Although the Reykjavík summit ends without the comprehensive nuclear agreement the two men had discussed, their negotiations are presented as improving communication between the superpowers and laying the groundwork for subsequent arms-control agreements, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed by Reagan and Gorbachev the following year.

Cast

Production

Development

Writer-director Michael Russell Gunn spent several years conducting research for the film. He interviewed former Secretary of State George Shultz before his 2021 death, and was also given transcripts from the 1986 summit.[3]

Casting

Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, and J. K. Simmons joined the cast on August 5, 2024.[3][4] Hope Davis, Branka Katić, and Aya Cash joined the cast on October 15, 2024.[5][6] Guy Burnet, John Ross Bowie, Adrian Rawlins, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson were announced as cast members on October 29, 2024.[7] In addition to ten main actors, the film employed over 100 supporting actors.[8]

Filming

The majority of the film was shot at Höfði, the actual site of the Reykjavík Summit.

Gunn used Iceland's production rebate program to film on location.[9][10] Principal photography began on October 15, 2024, in Reykjavík.[5] The majority of filming took place at Höfði, the actual site of the 1986 summit, which cost 6.3 million kr to rent from the city of Reykjavík.[11][10][12] Sæbraut, a local road in the city, was closed for filming purposes on October 19 and 26, 2024.[13][14] Additional filming locations included the Blue Lagoon, Skeggjastaðir, Mosfellsdalur, and Reykjanes.[13] Filming was expected to be completed by mid-November 2024.[15] Magdalena Górka served as the film's cinematographer.[9]

Pete Souza, who photographed the 1986 summit, also conducted the on-set photography for the film.[9]

Release

The Brink of War was released by Angel Studios on August 14, 2026.[16] It made $1,124,995 on its first day, debuting at sixth place; it went on to gross $2,689,529 in its opening weekend.[17]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 43 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[20]

Glenn Kenny of The New York Times wrote, "What pleasure and intrigue the movie has is provided by its top-billed cast. As Reagan, Daniels builds a characterization from traits — resolutely-set jaw, occasionally twinkly eyes — buttressing Gunn's hagiographic vision of the former president."[21]

Richard Roeper of RogerEbert.com gave the film two-and-a-half out of four stars, writing, "Daniels doesn't look like the 40th president and doesn't really nail the actor-turned-politician's distinctive vocal cadence, but it's an effective performance nonetheless."[22]

References

  1. ↑ "The Brink of War [PG]". Alberta Film Classification Office. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  2. ↑ "The Brink of War - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (August 5, 2024). "Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris & J.K. Simmons To Topline Cold War Drama 'Reykjavik'; Michael Russell Gunn Directing For SK Global". Deadline. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  4. ↑ Klawans, Justin (August 5, 2024). "Jeff Daniels To Play One of America's Most Controversial Presidents in New Cold War Movie". Collider. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Lang, Brent (October 15, 2024). "Hope Davis Playing Nancy Reagan in Political Drama 'Reykjavik' as Branka Katic and Aya Cash Join Cast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  6. ↑ Blevins, Adam (October 15, 2024). "'The Boys' and 'Succession' Stars Join Jared Harris and J.K. Simmons' Political Thriller". Collider. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ Grobar, Matt (October 29, 2024). "SK Global's Cold War Drama 'Reykjavik' Adds Four To Cast". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  8. ↑ Ásdís Ásgeirsdóttir (October 5, 2024). "Að feika rússneskan hreim" [To fake a Russian accent]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Miller, Stuart (November 5, 2024). "How Jeff Daniels-Jared Harris Drama 'Reykjavik' Used Authentic Locations to Tell the Story of a Cold War Summit in Iceland". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Aðalsteinn Kjartansson (October 29, 2024). "Eiga von á myndarlegri endurgreiðslu" [Expecting a handsome settlement]. Heimildin (in Icelandic). Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  11. ↑ Oddur Ævar Gunnarsson (October 23, 2024). "Hollywood stjörnur við Höfða" [Hollywood stars at Höfði]. Vísir (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ Freyr Gígja Gunnarsson (October 14, 2024). "Tökur hafnar á Hollywoodmynd í Höfða - greiða 6,3 milljónir í leigu" [Filming for Hollywood movie has started at Höfði - paying 6,3 million in rent]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on April 23, 2026. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Lovísa Arnardóttir (October 17, 2024). "Loka Sæbraut á laugardag vegna kvikmyndatöku" [Closing Sæbraut on Saturday for film shoot]. Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  14. ↑ Alma Ómarsdóttir (October 24, 2024). "Sæbraut lokuð að hluta vegna kvikmyndatöku" [Sæbraut partially closed because of film shoot]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  15. ↑ Höskuldur Daði Magnússon (September 22, 2024). "Þekktir leikarar og lúxuskerrur" [Famous actors and luxury cars]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (April 13, 2026). "Angel Studios unveils five 2026 theatrical releases at CinemaCon". Screen Daily. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  17. ↑ "The Brink of War (2026) - Box Office and Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  18. ↑ "The Brink of War". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  19. ↑ "The Brink of War". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 15, 2026). "Box Office: 'Spider: Brand New Day' No. 1 $65M, $20M 'Paw Patrol' & 'End Of Oak Street'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  21. ↑ Kenny, Glenn (August 13, 2026). "'The Brink of War' Review: When the U.S. and U.S.S.R. Came Together". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  22. ↑ Roeper, Richard (August 14, 2026). "The Brink of War". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
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