To that end, The Brink of War features lots and lots of…talk. The Brink of War The Bottom Line History come to only intermittent life. The production achieved a coup by filming at the actual location, with the scenes of Reagan (Jeff Daniels) and Gorbachev (Jared Harris) shot in the room where the meetings took place. Time and time again throughout The Brink of War, the characters expound on the vital importance of their mission and the world-changing stakes involved. But the visual touches aren’t enough to prevent The Brink of War from feeling like an academic history lesson rather than living, breathing drama.