Mosul

Mosul as a movie gives us a great insight on how ISIS were driven out of Iraq, though the whole movie is just a fictionalised account of a lot of happenings, One gets a general understanding of the bad stuff that went on back there. It is very refreshing to see an all Arab cast and an all Arab perspective of things in place of the regular stories of American soldiers and their deployment in Iraq since the Green Zone and the Hurt Locker.

Long time writer Matthew Michael Carnahan, impresses with his skills as a director for the first time. Cinematography is very good and keeps up with pace of the movie. Screenplay is very good and never lags in its entire runtime. Makeup, Production design and costumes were decent. Stunt sequences/ Action scenes were very impressive considering the movie's budget. At a little over 100 minutes editing is excellent. Acting by a all Arab team was generally good.

Overall, A great movie to watch for action movie fans that doesn't drag even one bit. The movie is a showcase for the determined Iraqi forces who drove out ISIS out of their soil. The highlight of the movie is presented at the very end, when it is presented for what and whom the fight is for. A must watch movie for all Action movie fans out there.

Bearing in mind that this is fiction, featuring actors, written and directed by an American, Mosul still has an authentic and sincere feel to it. The events covered are recent, and the wounds still very much raw, but the treatment seems fair.

The core story is the basic coming-of-age of a young policeman inducted into a SWAT team acting, essentially, as executioners, and he soon adopts that philosophy. Daesh behave like medieval savages, but the callousness and cruelty that this engenders on those fighting them isn't glossed over either. There are no heroes here - all the characters presented have quirks or flaws.

The acting, filming and production values are all generally decent, with some compelling performances from the leads. The combat sequences in particular are well done, with some admirable examples of snafus and fumbles that give them a gritty authentic feel.

The tone of the film is generally grim and downbeat, but there's a surprisingly affecting twist at the end when the unit's real mission is revealed. Even within that though, there's some further nuance that brings home that there are no easy, final victories over an ideology as actively evil as Daesh.

This is a commendable, thought provoking and thoroughly well made film that far exceeded my expectations.

I am deeply impressed by this movie for several reasons.

This movie succeeds in conveying the true horror and struggle of the war on IS for the locals - but not by using famous actors, over-the-top stylish action scenes, western "Good vs. Bad" morals or anything Hollywood usually does.

A simple (and partially real) plot, atmospheric score, an authentic look and feel and, most importantly, no "cool" choreographed fight scenes. War is frightening, chaotic and terrible, mistakes are being made, moral codes are blurred and innocent people getting harmed and killed just because they are at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Mosul simply depicts these things - and from my point of view (as a lucky guy from Germany) helps to understand a bit better the sheer terror in some areas of the Middle East.... Without the obligatory Hollywood Western Army strolling in and saving the day in the end...

Watch this movie and really focus on it - oh, and you should try to watch the movie in Arabic with the according subtitles as you will be emerged even more.

It has the production value of a typical Hollywood action movie because essentially its an American movie but its not an American story. A different setting, different characters, different motivations, different language and story from a place we don't get many movies from. In the end it's definitely a worthy watch.

A group of self made swat soldiers fight against ISIS in their hometown of Mosul, Iraq.

Mosul, Iraq. After a long struggle the tide is at last turning against ISIS. At the forefront of the war against ISIS is the elite Nineveh SWAT team, lead by Major Jasem. After recruiting a young police officer to their ranks they set off on a another hazardous mission.

A novel war drama, as it is told from an Iraqi perspective and set against the war against ISIS. Decent story, well told, with some realistic action scenes. Very gritty in the war the battles are portrayed: the good guys aren't immortal.

Not perfect though. Character engagement is limited, largely because there's no backstory to the characters or plot. Things just happen without a context, making you more an observer than a participant in the film.

The reason for the lack of background becomes apparent at the end but it would have been very helpful to have some way to have audiences engage more closely with characters. A longer film, even a mini-series, would have been more ideal.