| Director | Costa-Gavras |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film, political thriller film |
| Runtime | 115 min |
| Country | France, Germany, Italy |
| Box office | $8 million |
After an extensive military and police operation, a body is found shot in a car. The deceased is Philip Michael Santore, an employee of the United States Agency for International Development. Santore, killed by the Tupamaros, is eulogized as an advocate for the poor at his state funeral. A tenacious leftist journalist, Carlos Ducas, wonders why the "communications consultant" Santore was targeted alongside higher-value victims.
In an extended flashback, Tupamaro guerrillas hijack several cars in order to kidnap the second secretary of the American Embassy (who is released), the Consul of Brazil, and Santore. Santore is treated well by his masked captors, who reveal through a calm interrogation that Santore actually worked as a sophisticated instructor of state terrorism and torture to officers of the Uruguayan, Brazilian, and Dominican dictatorships and acted as a liaison with anti-leftist death squads. Despite a massive operation, the Uruguayan military and police are unable to find the captives, and the government refuses a proposed prisoner exchange which would free them in return for the release of political prisoners.
After a large number of Tupamaros are captured by the police and their ultimatum goes unanswered, Santore's captors decide to kill him. Santore agrees, saying he is worth more to the US dead than alive. In the final scene, porters at the airport wryly watch the arrival of a new American official, Santore's replacement.