- Film Review
- Reviewed By Stella Papamichael
-
2 out of 5
Jean Jacques-Annaud's misty-eyed morality tale stars Mark Strong and Antonio Banderas as rival leaders who spill blood and oil in the Arabian desert in the 1930s. But it's Tahar Rahim who has the meatiest role here, playing Strong's scholarly son, who's given up as a child to Banderas's wily emir to guarantee peace between the tribes - an agreement that is broken when the Americans detect oil in the buffer zone between their lands. Strong oozes charisma as the noble warrior, while Banderas relishes his turn as the sneering villain of the piece. However, Rahim (so effective in A Prophet) is miscast as a supposed leader of men, upstaged at every turn by Riz Ahmed (Four Lions) as his quick-witted half-brother, while his romance with Banderas's daughter (a glassy-eyed Freida Pinto) doesn't hold water, either. It's all very glossy, yet remains an emotionally arid affair.
Plot Summary
Two rival Arab leaders make peace, establishing a no-go area between their kingdoms that neither will claim. Years later, oil is found on this land, a discovery that threatens to end the truce. The sons of one leader, who have been adopted by their father's enemy, are drawn into the growing conflict. Drama set in the 1930s, with Tahar Rahim, Antonio Banderas, Mark Strong and Freida Pinto.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Prince Auda
- Tahar Rahim
- Nesib
- Antonio Banderas
- Sultan Amar
- Mark Strong
- Princess Leyla
- Freida Pinto
- Ali
- Rizwan Ahmed
- Prince Saleeh
- Akin Gazi
- Aïcha
- Liya Kebede
- Thurkettle
- Corey Johnson
- Hassan Dakhil
- Eriq Ebouaney
- Ibn Idriss
- Jan Uddin
Crew
- Director
- Jean-Jacques Annaud
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