Beirut (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Beirut |
| Original title | Beirut |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2018 |
| length | 109 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Brad Anderson |
| script | Tony Gilroy |
| production | Tony Gilroy, Ted Field , Mike Weber, Shivani Rawat, Monica Levinson |
| music | John Debney |
| camera | Bjorn Charpentier |
| cut | Andrew Hafitz |
| occupation | |
| |
Beirut is an American spy movie by Brad Anderson from the year 2018 .
action
Mason Skiles is an American diplomat in Lebanon who lives in Beirut in 1972 with his Lebanese wife Nadia. You recently started caring for Karim, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who claims he has no family. While celebrating a party, Skiles is confronted by his friend, CIA officer Cal Riley, about Karim's brother being linked to the 1972 Munich massacre. Karim should be asked directly about this. Immediately afterwards, the party is attacked by Karim's brother Rami, who kidnaps Karim. Nadia is killed in the ensuing shooting.
Ten years later, Skiles became an alcoholic and works as a freelance arbitrator in wage disputes in New England. While negotiating a dispute between particularly intransigent parties and trying to keep his small company afloat, he is approached by Sully, an old customer, on behalf of the US government. Sully makes him an offer to act as a substitute for an academic lecture in Lebanon. He gives them money, a plane ticket and a passport. Skiles is initially reluctant, but decides to travel to Beirut. He meets several government officials, including Donald Gaines of the CIA, Colonel Gary Ruzak of the National Security Council and Ambassador Frank Whalen, and CIA officer Sandy Crowder. There he learns that Cal Riley was recently kidnapped in Lebanon. The kidnappers specifically asked Skiles to act as negotiator. Riley was promoted to head of the local CIA and heads Gaines.
The group meets with the kidnappers and realizes that Karim is the head of the organization. Karim calls for his brother's release in exchange for Riley, despite the fact that the Americans have stated that they do not have Rafid in captivity. Skiles suspects that Israel is holding Rafid and travels with Ruzak to the Israelis to demand his release. The Israelis reveal they have no Rafid and Skiles returns to Beirut to meet with Alice, Riley's wife. Alice blames Skiles for Riley's abduction and believes that Riley stayed in Lebanon because of the guilt he felt for Nadia's death.
The next day, while Skiles was giving the lecture at the American University of Beirut (the official reason for visiting), a car bomb was detonated outside the building. In the ensuing chaos, Skiles is instructed to meet Karim. Karim brings him to Riley, who secretly informs Skiles that the PLO is holding Rafid and that Gaines cannot be trusted. Before releasing Skiles, Karim threatens that Riley will be sold to Iran if Rafid is not returned later that night. Skiles returns to Riley's apartment to look for clues as to where he meets Crowder. She reveals that Gaines stole money from the embassy and that Riley was preparing to report it shortly before he went missing. Skiles convinces Crowder that the PLO is holding on to Rafid. Crowder steals $ 4 million from the CIA office to negotiate with the PLO over Rafid.
After Skiles attacks a PLO officer, he negotiates a deal for Rafid and brings him to an exchange with Karim. After swapping Riley for Rafid, Rafid is shot dead by a Mossad sniper in a nearby building. The Americans escape successfully. The Mossad sniper is actually Bernard who originally met Skiles when he arrived in Beirut. Bernard meets Sandrine, the leader of the PLO officer who Skiles attacked, who is also an Israeli agent. Before leaving Beirut, Skiles learns that Gaines has unexpectedly resigned from his post and that Ruzak has left Beirut. Crowder announces their intention to apply for the new position and Skiles is offering his services as a negotiator.
At the end of the film, news material is shown of the subsequent Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which increased international engagement in the country, and finally the bombings of the US embassy and the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut in 1983.
Reviews
“Internal rivalries among secret services and terrorist groups, almost inscrutable entanglements between all parties involved, local conflicts with global repercussions: Tony Gilroy's scenario would be worthy of a novel by John Le Carré . And in some scenes, when shady figures discuss the fate of people or entire ethnic groups over drinks in sparsely lit back rooms, as if it were about the weather, Anderson succeeds in showing a cynical world in which the lives of enemies count for nothing and not much more from friends. Just like the author of 'The Spy Who Came From the Cold' and 'Dame, König, Ace, Spy'. Unlike there, however, such moments are quickly replaced here by rapid chases through Beirut (even if the film was only partially convincing in Morocco) or by confrontations with rifles at the ready. "
Web links
- Beirut in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Beirut at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Michael Meyns: film review. Film releases , accessed January 2, 2019 .