Drama
PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Dan Futterman: Daniel Pearl, reporter for the Wall Street Journal
Angelina Jolie: his wife Mariane
Archie Panjabi: Asra, fellow journalist and family friend
Will Patton: Agent Randall Bennett, a U.S. security official
Irffhan Khan: the Captain, Pakistan's head of counter-terrorism
Denis O'Hare: John Bussey, Editor of the Wall Street Journal
REVIEW
This fact based recounting of the kidnapping of an American journalist has the feel of a documentary in part because of the frequent use of a handheld camera. The editing is crisp and the pacing excellent. An attempt has been made to keep things simple by the use of a whiteboard with all the personages shown schematically. It doesn’t work that well because it is all very confusing. But the main thing is the effort being made to find Daniel Pearl and that comes across clearly enough.
Although several actors put in a good performance, there is nothing so compelling as Angelina Jolie’s: she is at the top of her game and probably the best thing she’s ever done.
It must have been tempting to take a position for or against the opposing factions. But the producers maintain a neutral stand and just let the story unfold without imposing their point-of-view.
CLASSIFICATION
for language.
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