Baghdad Central

Set in Iraq during the war that started in 2003, this story unfolds from the perspectives of the people whose lives it upended. The first episode was unflinching, atmospheric and shocking in places, with a conflicted central character and surprising turns. A smart script and dual language approach, along with pin-sharp direction, left me with little opportunity to second guess what was coming next. edge of the seat stuff, genuinely gripping and intelligently put together. More like this please Channel 4

A solid offering from , where else , The U.K. I can't say if it is an accurate rendering of life in Iraq after the war and during the occupation but it feels very real and the characters and their motivations, flaws and positive aspects are never black and white. It is everything American Television is not. It is subtle and nuanced and creates drama through the interplay of the characters and their varied objectives ,if you liked ' The Honourable Woman' this series measures up to that one.

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.

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.

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