"Beirut" (2018 release; 109 min.) brings the story of Mason Skiles, a US diplomat in Beirut. As the movie opens, it is "1972" and Skiles is hosting a party. At the party is Karim, a 13 yr. old Lebanese boy whom Skiles and his wife have informally come to care for, A CIA officer is demanding that Karim be handed over, as his brother is linked to the Munich Olympic Games' terrorist attack. Then out of the blue an attack ensures, and the attackers take off with Karim, and murder Skiles' wife along the way. We then go to "10 years later"... At this point we're 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from director Brad Anderson (best known for "The Machinist" and "Transsiberian") and writer Tony Gilroy, who wrote all of the Bourne movies (and also directed one). Beware: the movie's ads scream out "from the writer of the Bourne trilogy", but if you are expecting an action movie in the same vein as the Bourne movies, you will be hugely disappointed. "Beirut" is NOT an action movie. Instead, it is a dense, plot-heavy political thriller. The only similarity with the Bourne movies is that much of "Beirut" is filmed with hand-held cameras (and hence at times close to inducing a headache from all the shaking pictures). Jon Hamm seems to relish his role as the hard-charging, hard-drinking Mason Skiles. Rosamund Pike (the other 'big' name), on the other hand, seems utterly lost as the CIA operative who may or may not have other ulterior motives in all this. The movie's photography is heavily skewed towards orange, as it appears many of the day-time scenes were shot late in the afternoon when the sun is providing that type of color.
"Beirut" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival to general great acclaim. The movie is now playing in select theaters. The Tuesday evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (5 people in total, including myself). If you are in the mood for a dense and plot-heavy (a bit too much for my liking) political thriller set in the Middle East, this one is right up your allay, and I'd suggest you check out "Beirut", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion
Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from director Brad Anderson (best known for "The Machinist" and "Transsiberian") and writer Tony Gilroy, who wrote all of the Bourne movies (and also directed one). Beware: the movie's ads scream out "from the writer of the Bourne trilogy", but if you are expecting an action movie in the same vein as the Bourne movies, you will be hugely disappointed. "Beirut" is NOT an action movie. Instead, it is a dense, plot-heavy political thriller. The only similarity with the Bourne movies is that much of "Beirut" is filmed with hand-held cameras (and hence at times close to inducing a headache from all the shaking pictures). Jon Hamm seems to relish his role as the hard-charging, hard-drinking Mason Skiles. Rosamund Pike (the other 'big' name), on the other hand, seems utterly lost as the CIA operative who may or may not have other ulterior motives in all this. The movie's photography is heavily skewed towards orange, as it appears many of the day-time scenes were shot late in the afternoon when the sun is providing that type of color.
"Beirut" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival to general great acclaim. The movie is now playing in select theaters. The Tuesday evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (5 people in total, including myself). If you are in the mood for a dense and plot-heavy (a bit too much for my liking) political thriller set in the Middle East, this one is right up your allay, and I'd suggest you check out "Beirut", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion