Z is a 1969 political thriller film directed by Costa-Gavras, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jorge Semprún, adapted from the 1967 novel by Vassilis Vassilikos.

The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963.

With its dark view of Greek politics and its downbeat ending, the film captures the director's outrage about the junta that then ruled Greece.

Other actors in the film include Pierre Dux, Charles Denner, François Périer, Georges Géret and Bernard Fresson.

The scene shifts to preparations for a political rally of the opposition faction in which the left-leaning, pacifist deputy is to give a speech advocating nuclear disarmament.

The injury eventually proves fatal, and the police manipulate witnesses to force the conclusion that the deputy was simply run over by a drunk driver.

The examining magistrate, with the assistance of a photojournalist, now uncovers sufficient evidence to indict not only the two right-wing militants who committed the murder but also four high-ranking military police officers.

The heads of the government resign after public disapproval, but before elections are carried out, a coup d'état occurs, and the military seize power.

The 1963 murder of Greek politician and physician Grigoris Lambrakis and subsequent military junta in power from 1967–1973 served as the basis for the story.

That said, Costa-Gavras has stated that the Zapruder film had not been widely circulated in Europe at the time and that Kennedy's assassination did not influence the production.

[9] Principal photography took place in Algiers at actor Jacques Perrin's suggestion, which the filmmakers approved for its Mediterranean environment and because the Ministry of Culture was accommodating.

[7] In Algiers, the Hotel St. Georges and the central square were filming locations, while Paris' Théâtre des Champs-Élysées was used for the ballet scenes.

The soundtrack as released on LP and CD replaces Henry's song with a similar track written by Theodorakis titled "Café Rock."

"[14] Jonathan Richards wrote in 2009, "It's hard to overstate the impact that this Oscar-winning procedural thriller had in 1969, on a world roiling in political activism, repression, and discord.

In the U.S., the Vietnam War was on the front burner, the populace was passionately engaged, and the police riots outside the '68 Chicago Democratic Convention and the murder of Black Panther Fred Hampton were raw wounds.

With this stylish, intense indictment of the assassination of a leftist political leader by a right-wing government cabal in his native Greece, director Costa-Gavras struck a nerve that resonated here and around the globe.

"[15] In 2009, Armond White praised the film and wrote: "Ending with a provocative, unorthodox tally of fascist clampdowns on freedom of expression and the arts, Costa-Gavras angles his exposé with a frightening coda that encapsulates the on-going political struggle.

The site's consensus states: "Powerfully effective, this anti-fascist political thriller stands out as both high-conscience melodrama and high-tempo action movie.