On the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, two warring leaders come face to face. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can lay claim to the area of no man’s land between them called The Yellow Belt. In return, Nesib adopts Amar’s two boys Saleeh and Auda as a guarantee against invasion. Twelve years later, Saleeh and Auda have grown into young men. Saleeh, the warrior, itches to escape his gilded cage and return to his father’s land. Auda cares only for books and the pursuit of knowledge. One day, their adopted father Nesib is visited by an American from Texas. He tells the Emir that his land is blessed with oil and promises him riches beyond his wildest imagination. Nesib imagines a realm of infinite possibility, a kingdom with roads, schools and hospitals all paid for by the black gold beneath the barren sand. There is only one problem. The precious oil is located in the Yellow Belt.
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Reviews
Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Overrated
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
This is the story of how the Arab tribes became united by war, to become Saudi Arabia. Antonio Banderas stars as Emir Nesib who bartered a deal with the United States for the oil. He was able to buy off most of the other tribes except for one, who believed the infidels of the west should leave their land.While the movie is fictional, it reflects the conflict that goes on within the world of Islam today. Antonio Banderas, with his Spanish accent was as convincing as an Arab as Sean Connery with his Scottish accent was as convincing as a Russian submarine captain. In other words, he pulls it off.The characters are western stereotypes of Arab culture. They are played well, if you are into the stereotype.What was with the harem outfit on Frieda Pinto?Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, nudity.
The Arab world. a portrait created using cliches and mixed stories and confrontations scenes. and personal stories. the result is far to be remarkable. but decent. and interesting. and that fact is the basic motif for see it. sure, for a part of cast, for landscapes and for fragments of plot. but important is the detail than it is better than more of its public expectations. and this represents a good point.
Set in the 1930s Arab states at the dawn of the oil boom, the story centers on a young Arab prince torn between allegiance to his conservative father and modern, liberal father-in-law. Even with actors such as Mark Strong and Antonio Banderas in the main roles 'Black Gold' was just boring from the start. The whole romance was also under developed and overall it's one of those films that people will forget that was even made in the first place. (0/10)
Emir Nesib of Hobeika (Antonio Banderas) and Sultan Amar of Salma (Mark Strong) are rivals, and they have set aside The Yellow Belt between the two tribes as a no-man's land. Amar's two sons are taken by Nesib as hostages to keep the peace. When Texas oilmen finds oil in the Yellow Belt, Nesib uses the oil to modernize but Amar refuses to accept the violation of their peace treaty. Amar's son Prince Auda (Tahar Rahim) is caught in the middle trying to bring the opposite sides together. Freida Pinto also stars as Princess Leyla.They are trying to bring a compelling piece of history to life. The time when Texas oilmen first meet the Arab world. They try to intermix some Hollywood melodrama with some more traditional Arab insights. It makes it feel like less authentic, but it does have some great adventures. There are no absolute bad or good from the two leaders as Auda tries to navigate both world. Nesib is trying to gain modernity for the good of his people. Amar sees the gold that comes from the oil as little value and mostly corrupting. I don't know if anything is truly resolved in the end with both sides of the argument undefeated. In fact, the death of Amar is a complete cop-out. It leaves a big question completely unanswered. I think there is a better movie to be made about that era.
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