Baghdad Central

This is a UKB crime drama developed for English languague broadcast TV; there are issues, but I found it well paced and very watchable.

I'm always pleased to see a director post here. The commissioning editor and crew can be proud of this work. There are some well drawn characters, a good plot arc, a touch of intrigue, and some fine scene setting and camera work. Well done.

More knowledgeable folk have been critical here about authenticity. I understand, but this is entertainment. I think the crew made a reasonable effort to offer a local perspective on 'the cradle of civilisation' to their English viewers.

I hope they get funding for another series. If so, I'll be watching.

I really enjoyed the mixture of Arabic and English the characters were speaking. My Arabic is not great but I could follow a lot of what people were saying. The one mistake I spotted gave me a big grin on my face. The union flag on Frank Temple's desk in episode one is upside down. If you look at the side of the flag nearest the pole it has the narrow white band upper most. This normally denotes that the person flying the flag is in distress.

I loved the show and I only gave my review cause obviously we want a 2nd season, please.

Loved the first episode. Incredibly evocative of a unique time and place. Amazing performances and a genuinely surprising story. Can't wait to see where the story goes.

The movie was interesting from the very start. Showing how eager the Iraqis were to be free of the terrible reign of Sadaam Hussein. The movie also drew attention to the numerous factions in Iraqi society fighting over power and control of neighborhoods in Iraq that made peace so difficult. A few things I felt missed the mark: Too much reliance on Moroccan culture and not enough Iraqi influence. The actors shook theirvheads the wrong way for yes and no. The lack of InshaAllah in the movie. In Iraqi society of the time , instead that's life etc. A lot of blame for problems was put on Private Security firms, who weren't perfect, but they weren't as corrupt as portrayed. The film often used the term mercenary over and over. The best part of the film showed Iraqis wishing they had done something to resist Sadaam' regime before the liberation was necessary.

Otherwise great entertainment and a god stab at trying to reflect the lives of Iraqis after Sadaam.