Beirut

First, yes, the filmmakers could have been more considerate and filmed it in Beirut and hired local actors and crew if they wanted to truly pay homage to the city, but is it that despicable or offensive? Probably not. They might have made up for it by including all the clichés that the Lebanese folks like to hear and see, such as "ski in the morning, go to the beach in the afternoon, and party all night", and the girl in the bikini walking next to a veiled woman. And their over-simplified summation of the very complex nature of the conflicts seems to hold some truth and is probably just enough for the short attention span folk, who could only consume brief over-simplified summation. But overall, the film is only slightly entertaining, the story is ok, nothing deep or moving, average suspense and action, but it's interesting how it's mixed up with the tragic events of the city, although most of them is made up.

As a movie this is a solid, dependable thriller with a really solid performance by Jon Hamm, as well as by a range of supporting players who turn in good, taunt performances. The one exception is Rosamund Pike whom is a great actor, but is ill-used. I suspect there were a number of scenes left on the editing floor.

This movie will be controversial because of its depictions of Beirut, as well as lack of agency of the Lebanese people. These criticisms are valid, but at the same time it is very hard for Hollywood, let alone a Western director and writer to get the right nuance and tension of the period AND make a successful movie. To the critics, you have a point, but this is a thriller, not a documentary.

If you are looking for a modern spy/espionage movie, this should be on your list. Plus I would love to see more Jon Hamm in these types of roles...well done.

Did find myself gripped by the trailer initially and the story sounded really interesting. A cast with the likes of John Hamm, Rosamund Pike (one of my main reasons for seeing the film) and Dean Norris also promised a good deal, and both Brad Anderson and Tony Gilroy have done solid work previous.

Although more divisive here, 'The Negotiator' from my understanding has as of now been received positively critically. It is not hard to see why, it is not perfect and falls short of being great but there are an awful lot of things to like. It did deserve to do better financially, having been a box office under-performer, and deserved much better than a limited release, not just in my country but worldwide too, where even then it would have been easy to miss with such tight competition released around the same time. With advertising that did it justice, rather than making it out to be a film far less complex and more insensitive than it actually is, and that it was released under the title 'The Negotiator' (a far more appealing title in the first place) worldwide instead of the misleading 'Beirut', the film would have fared better.

'The Negotiator' has a few faults. It does lose its way in the final third, where things lose momentum and plausibility declines. Felt too that the film resolved at the end too tidily.

For me, the music was on the intrusive side and while there was not much of a problem with the authenticity of it there was a problem with the placement, which could be inappropriate for the mood and not fitting that well.

Rosamund Pike does do very well in the acting stakes, but the character felt underwritten and underused somewhat, in general the character development was a little sketchy excepting the lead character.

However, 'The Negotiator' is slickly photographed and regardless of it not being the real location (though as said there have been many films that weren't made in the real life, either being done in another country or in the studio, and still manage to be good and even great to classic films) the scenery has beauty and grit. Anderson directs with control and tautness, giving alertness to the drama while allowing things to breathe too.

Gilroy's script is tightly structured, smart and thought-provoking, the political elements and connections not complicating the story despite their complexities. The story, while losing its way in the last act, is from the very start gripping, not hard to follow or dull and has a number of thrills and nail-biting suspense. Loved the meaty character writing for the lead character and his quite complex development and although some have said otherwise the film's representation of the Middle East/Beirut is far less insensitive than has been made out.

John Hamm in on top form here, at his best perhaps, and is rightfully the standout of the quite impeccable cast. Pike does very well being tough and sympathetic, and it was great seeing different roles for Dean Norris and Shea Whigham that contrast with the roles that they're most famous for.

Overall, not a great film and with its issues, namely the last act and the music, but gripping, intelligent and well cast and made. So much better than its misleading advertising, limited release, criticisms against it for not being authentic and being offensive (didn't think that personally) and financial under-performance indicates. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Tony Gilroy's thriller "Beirut", tautly directed by Brad Anderson, propels that iconic "Mad Men" tv star Jon Hamm into the long-vacant Hollywood position created in the '40s by Humphrey Bogart. It's a character persona of disillusioned, world-weary masculine presence that springs into action, however reluctantly, when absolutely necessary.

Previous IMDb reviews of this exciting film either have been premature (of the "Gee, I can't wait to see it" non-review content) or ignorantly dismissive, as if fiction had to be judged by reality standards, or location hunting be abandoned in favor of merely using the practical "real" places from the script. I guess Matt Damon in "The Martian" was somehow exempt from that latter idiotic requirement.

Several hit films come to mind, clearly "Argo" the most relevant in terms of demonstrating box office potential, and Hamm is blessed with a talented and selfless co-star in a key yet subdued role by Rosamund Pike, coincidentally having risen to stardom in "Argo" maestro Ben Affleck's "Gone Girl". The director cites Peter Weir's "The Year of Living Dangerously" as a key influence, and that's a fine source to draw from.

I appoint Hamm as the next Bogie because in addition to his classic good looks as leading man he captures here and in "Mad Men" the uncanny ability to define a film noir hero -self-divided, prone to hitting the bottle, and winning over a viewer no matter how close he comes to betraying his best moral instincts in service of self-interest. Certainly he could handle a remake of "Casablanca" (perhaps with currently hot-hot Scandi star Alicia VIkander as co-star) without much of a stretch.

Though low-budget and closer to pulp than a major Hollywood blockbuster, "Beirut" succeeds because it is fun, not because it is giving us a history lesson. The cliches of its genre and the unfortunate real-life cliches of the Middle East as a quagmire work very well in the traditional roller-coaster ride that is what Hollywood does best. Quibbling over accuracy is absurd; rather Gilroy should be commended for fashioning, over a period of several decades, a tight script that makes its historical points while firmly inhabiting the fantasy land of movies.

I quite like John Hamm. The man has this natural charm about him, he just seems like a nice, fun guy to the point that even when he's not great, he's still enjoyable. Beirut is a great example of that because the movie itself is kinda underwhelming but I still enjoyed him in it for the most part. Can't say the same for Pike. I don't know what it is but most of her performances annoy me and this wasn't an exception. That's really the story of Beirut though. There are times when it's good, clever and entertaining and then times when it's just soooo bad and the rest of the time it's just super generic. Nothing is ventured and nothing is really gained.

This is a tough one because I want to call it background noise but that doesn't work because there are things happening and it wouldn't work if you don't pay attention, but it's not really worth giving your attention either so it's stuck in this weird limbo space of only really being suitable for people that just want to watch it for some reason. Definitely not one I'd recommend paying any money on, if you can't at least check it out for free first then don't bother.