Golda

    

        

     This biographical drama is a tour de force for Helen Mirren in the title role as Golda Meir. As with pretty much any film she is in, Ms. Mirren is remarkable and carries the weight of the film squarely on her shoulders.

     The timeline for the film is an account of Ms. Meir's leadership during the "Yom Kippur War" when Israel was attacked on all sides by Egypt and Syria. Directed by Guy Nattiv, the film is straightforward and fairly dry in its retelling of that terrible time in Israel's history.

     Co-starring are Camille Cotin as Lou Kadar, Ms. Meir's personal assistant, Rami Heuberger as Moshe Dayan, Ohad Knoller as Ariel Sharon, Lior Ashkenazi as David Elazar, and in a two-scene cameo, Liev Schreiber as Henry Kissinger. 

     Ms. Mirrin's makeup is remarkable, even in closeup. And how she survived chain smoking throughout the film is beyond me. There are countless shots of her smoking and filled ashtrays. It's enough to question your own health when you leave the theater.

           There is not much new here to learn if you are familiar with the facts but if you're not, it is certainly an important time in history to watch unfold with another great Helen Mirrin performance.