Sick Product of a Sick System

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The Basic Plot of a Taken Daughter may be a Reason to Knee-Jerk and Cry Foul or Worse Stay Away from this Low-Key Thriller set in Syria, of all Places, just Before the Uprising. This is not that Clear on Details, and it would be Better if it was, like the Background of the Protagonist, and His Much Talked About Past. But it is a Movie that Looks Really Good with Sharp, Colorful Images, and the Dialog and Performers have and Urgent Gravitas. The Movie is Somewhat Slowly Paced for this Type of Current Trend Action, but it has a Difference about its Similarities that makes it Intriguing.Overall it is Well Produced and Thoughtful but not Rich Enough or Viscerally Intense to Rise Above its Independent Stature. Worth a Watch but do not Expect any Bar Raising in the Genre, just a Competent, Entertaining Little Movie with Big Intentions.

Adib's (Alexander Siddig) daughter goes missing in Damascus, Syria and he must go and find her; but Adib has a secret that has kept him from Syria for 20-years. Actually, 2-secrets. This whole movie hinges on the reason his daughter went to Damascus in the first place when she was supposed to be on her way home to Toronto, Canada. This is very slow going, but consider that if Adib goes back to a country that he escaped from and if caught now he would be arrested. He knows the customs of the country and still knows some people who are in high places, sort of. Language is no problem as he knows Arabic. Ah, but he does go back and knows he must approach everything slowly as there are many secret police units all over the place in this police state. Adib needs help from someone who can do the things he needs done to find his daughter. The help comes from Fatima (Marisa Tomei) who Adib was supposed to marry back in the day, but he escaped and never made contact with her again. And, to be sure, Fatima tells him all about it in a rough and tumble way; and she is still in love with him. Okay, so now you know one secret. So he goes to the Canadian Embassy (Adib is a Canadian citizen) for any help they can provide. He goes to see his old friend in Syrian Military Intelligence, and tries to run down a old Russian spy he knew back in the day to get his help. Adib knows he is being watched by factions of the Secret Police and is acutely aware that he could be arrested at any moment as now people are beginning to see him and do some research about him. But, no tension is felt. This is sometimes suspenseful, but the tension is not there. The acting is fine all around, but also halting as one would expect in a place like this where one must choose one's words carefully. But, still no tension. One thing that bothered me was that he wanders all over Damascus in a new Western suit, which stuck out like a sore thumb; and later he walks around openly in a newly pressed ultra white dress shirt. He should have worn things to blend in more, but the director didn't see it that way. She was never a spy. HA !You will enjoy this if you take Adib's character to be your own. Sometimes you may ask yourself if you would have done anything different aside from the suit and the white shirt, of course. He knows people and needs to ask favors and he has to be careful about it. And, yes, he does get beaten up at times, but still no tension. If there was a way to get tension in here this would be a very good movie. It needed tension. (5/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, not much.

What can I say..... Taken 2 was a weak follow on from the original which was quite a fresh approach to a mild action movie, this is neither. This makes Taken 2 seem fast paced and full of kick ass. If you enjoy slow moving stories with the actors seemingly pausing to buy time (or remember their lines) this is for you. I should have turned off after the titles. I did eventually switch off after an hour. The characters are boring, slow paced, uninterested in their role and I can only imagine the director saw what a train crash this was going to be and left halfway through filming! The main actor excelled in Deep space 9 and was even watchable in Primeval but in this movie he just seems bored and certainly not overly concerned about his missing daughters welfare. Snore,,, watch at your peril! Sci fi channel movies seem glossy and well written/acted compared to this mess. 1/10 cos it's the lowest I can give. You may see higher ratings from Canadians who have watched this film, they're being patriotic, trust me.

It was such an emotional, fast paced ride. Loved it, tells a personal story with Syria as a backdrop. I liked this. If you want more politics, go read a book - but if you want something that is emotional, a character study of an Arab man living in Canada - whose daughter goes missing, see this. A little bit of thriller, mystery, action - and so emotional. The ending ripped my heart out. Loved it. Also looked like a big Hollywood movie, found out it was Canadian - which made even more sense. As its politics and the violence don't hit you over the head. Instead, it's a very universal story about how far a father would go and the past he needs to delve back into. Loved it.