Amidst the rat-at-at of the automated fire and emotional excesses by RDX lighting up the Middle Eastern shooting locale skyline, this Ridley Scotter provides soft moments to probe the softer terrains of human aspirations and cultural dilemmas. Hollywood has always prospered with the American war- first against the Germans and Jap’s , then the Russians, then viet’s and now providing grist to the mill – the jihadi’s of the middle east who have misinterpreted the Koran. Who is fighting whose war? Deep into the enemy territory the unraveling world for the CIA operative at the ground level( Leonardo ) can be different from the paunch line heaving director of CIA (Russell Crowe) sitting far faraway in the pentagon with the conservative bear hug over clench fisted strategy that – all else beyond the statue of liberty is merely a matter of state policy to be realized – whatever it may take. The film broods over the blurring enemy lines and the fascinating agony of executing a war policy mechanically- just as a traveling sales man sells wares and moves on. But all the pieces are not artifacts but human beings with the desire to live, love and die. Two contrasting view finders lead the audience to uncover the travesty of a fight – between superior technology on the one hand pressed against lesser technically organized warriors but those spurred by the fuel of faith and zealously dodging radars and evasive sky hawks camouflaged against the heavens above.
In the scalding barrenness of hope, one finds an oasis in the surging romance between the operative and the Iranian nurse. The latter bound by the dictates of custom in a disorganized displaced environment by war – the other trying to find moorings of family and a filial affection in a society where mobility of values is the custom. Revealing his personal status as a divorcee he counters his new love interest’s charge of being a bad husband by quipping back –“I was a bad husband but she was a worse wife”. The brittleness of the American family contrasted with the clawing stability of Middle Eastern ethos and religious tenets. The restraint that custom can weave into body language and mannerisms stand etched in the character of the nurse in contrast to the innocent overtures of her beau. A society where a visitor home or a shake of hands with a man can have the community gazing on intrusively –cctv’s on two legs- mopping up a slight deviance- from every parapet. All the while when airwaves of satellite television and the internet are subconsciously smoothening out the wrinkles of cultural isolation -anti pluralist thought in the Middle East living room.
Those trying to reclaim the lost territory of peace are not the westerners alone; the Muslims too are having their torsos shredded in the fight. The protagonists plea for compensating the family of the Arab who has died in an operation brings to the fore the fact that heroes for democracy are not whites skinned alone or that the rest mere foot soldiers. A reminder too – not to categorize all humanity constituting Muslims into jihads. Reminding those who have strayed that there is a waiting mother back home- drugged by an overdose of faith sacrificing these primary obligations common to all humanity leads nowhere.
The films loud message is taken to an unwarranted sickening height in the denouement, when Leonardo is about to be another sliced head on internet . Leonardo’s impassioned plea is alike to the director keeping his megaphone to the viewers ear apprehending that his efforts for the last 2 hours have failed which was uncalled for. Crafty swooping photography that etches the sandy terrain of the middle east matching the mood and symbolism required for the script, measured earthy dialogues connoting a new middle east- west society and an unassuming yet discernible background score in tune with the cultural ethnic beats – had in fact already told the story.
Leonardo’s sincerity as an actor is evident in the freshness and enterprise that he exudes as a CIA operative internalizing the finer aspects of a foreign milieu and fusing into an alien culture in order to be effective in his portrayal. The film subtly informs that understanding their culture, society language open up ways to tackle terrorism that an indiscriminating missile however sophisticated cannot. In contrast , Russell Crowe heaves around the portly detachment of a macro strategist for whom the terrain is a just geography viewed from an elevated platform and all that is potential terror are targets to be destroyed- in that resolve sometimes even his own operative is just another pawn!. A deportment of ease, assuredness and clinical execution of state policy in contrast to the befuddled frame of mind of those fighting it at the ground level. Martin Strong as the Jordanian Intelligence chief brings alive an outdated charisma and elegance grafting a take away performance that cinema will cherish for a long time. With so many tricks of terror war exposed on screen surely CIA would have a wry flustered grin when the theatre lights up post- show.
-younohu
