In one of his last roles before his tragically early death, Raul Julia is both committed and convincing as Chico Mendes, the Brazilian union leader who was assassinated in 1990. Superbly scripted, and directed with considerable power by John Frankenheimer, this superior TV movie never allows its passionate support for Mendes and his cause (the preservation of the Amazon rainforests) to deteriorate into either hagiography or melodrama. Ably supported by Sonia Braga and Edward James Olmos, Julia commands the screen, whether rallying the local peasantry, battling with big business or challenging the corrupt administration. Green film-making at its best.

Based on the true story of a Brazilian rubber tapper who leads his people in protest against government and developers, who want to cut down their part of the rainforest for a new road and ranch land. The rich and the powerful will stop at nothing, and frequently resort to murder