Damascus Cover

A honest artistic work: well acted, well shot, well edited. And middle east is always an interesting location. The plot is not the most brilliant ever written but I bet that most of us will not foresee the ending.

I don't understand why exceeding in negative reviews: not every film can be worth an Academy Award. But if you love cinema there is a good chance that you'll enjoy the flick.

I am old and I've seen much worse...

I was impressed by this movie. The cinematography was notably good, providing one with a good feel of the atmosphere of the locations in which this film was shot.

I also enjoyed the political comments that punctuated this movie, without being 'preachy'; something that would certainly turn me off a movie.

The performances were strong, but at the same time not overly dramatic, which gave the movie the gravitas and tension required for a film in this genre. The storyline keeps you engaged from start to finish, and you leave the theatre suitably entertained - which is what you want.

Is this film a big budget production like 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'? No. Is it a good independent movie that will entertain you? Yes.

I guess making a film from a novel or book can never quite manage the intricate nuances of a story that in the written page interweaves chapter to chapter. This in my opinion was the main flaw in the film where many very good actors never had a chance to develop their roles and show their true characters as the screenplay jumped from scene to scene in a rather staccato fashion.

However I WAS impressed by the performance of Jonathon Rhys Meyers who held the film together with a confident and professional job in the leading role. I must say, unlike Toni Colette and Liam Neeson I have not seen a lot of Jonathon but as far as acting goes he is certainly on a par with the former two and could easily handle some other more challenging leading roles.

Not a great film but certainly a watchable one and if you want to follow the hard to follow plot read the book and just sit back and enjoy the screen action and very good performances from just about the whole cast. Seven out of ten from me.

I was intrigued by this film, not least because the late great John Hurt was involved and I believe it was sadly his last film. It was not a disappointment and had a retro- feel, in a good way! Being used to seeing so many slick spy thrillers, it was refreshing to see a film that was not obsessed with perfection. There were some interesting twists and turns and action scenes too. The main lead, Jonathan Rhys Meyers was well chosen and watchable. It is definitely worth a viewing and will be appreciated by those who prefer a vintage style spy thriller!

In spite of sporting a decent cast Damascus Cover, fails to impress. This is what I would describe as a "template film". It takes a standardised formula that been used many times before and adds in actors, props and sets, along with rather conventional narrative.

The result is a shallow contrivance that lacks flair, corralling the actors performance's, offering little in the way of character growth and artistic improvisation. This is a genuine shame too, as there is some real talent in this cast, including I believe the final performance by the truly wonderful John Hurt.

Just as regrettable is this film seems intent on portraying Syria as a haven for human rights abusers, torturers and escaped Nazi's. The latter hob nob with senior Syrian officials, whilst living the high life in Damascus. Whilst indeed there was a senior Nazi residing in Syria, he was not feted by the government but instead died whilst effectively under house arrest.

Simply put there is not a lot to like here. I watched all of this film but found I was bored a good portion of the time by its overall blandness and lack of objectivity. Suffice to say there are far far better espionage thrillers on offer than this tepid affair. 4/10 from me.