Charismatic Jon Hamm is such a good actor that it’s a shame his talents are wasted on this disjointed political thriller, set in war-torn Lebanon in 1982. Hamm plays Mason Skiles, a top U.S. diplomat who is married to Nadia (Leila Bekhti) and living in Beirut. Having no children of their own, the couple have taken in Karim, a 13-year-old Palestinian refugee. Over cocktails, Mason discovers that Karim’s older brother is a terrorist suspected in the Israeli massacre carried out at the 1972 Munich Olympics and that Mossad agents want to question Karim. Without warning, Karim’s brother barges in, guns blazing and grabs Karim, and Nadia is killed in the chaos. Cut to Boston 10 years later, where Mason has become a union negotiator and a bona fide alcoholic. One night in a bar, he’s approached with an offer he cannot refuse. His CIA colleague (Mark Pellegrino) is being held hostage by now-grown Karim (Idir Chender), who demands the return of his brother from the Israelis. But the Israelis don’t have his brother, forcing Mason to deal with the PLO. Milling around are cultural attaché Sandy Crowder (Rosamund Pike), CIA agent Donald Gaines (Dean Norris), and the Embassy’s Gary Ruzak (Shea Whigham), each with his/her own agenda. Based on a 27-year-old script that was loosely inspired by CIA Station Chief William Buckley’s 1984 kidnapping, director Brad Anderson is unable to successfully put together the pieces of this dark and murky thriller. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurette “The Story” (3 min.) and a brief character segment with costar Rosamund Pike. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)
Beirut
Universal, 110 min., R, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.98, July 3 Volume 33, Issue 4
Beirut
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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