Review of Beirut (2018) by Copperwiire — 24 May 2018

Considered an espionage thriller without a lot of showcasing of the actual espionage this films spans a decade between events surrounding diplomat Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) which first causes him to leave Beirut and events that force him to return a decade later during the Lebanese Civil War between 1972-1982. Directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist & Session 9) in his biggest budget film to date.

Written by Tony Gilroy who has had a hand in many films (Rogue One, Nightcrawler, Duplicity etc) is always able to add a good deal of human element to characters. Cast wise this film stars the incomparable Jon Hamm and very talented actress Rosamund Pike who traverse their way through the war torn streets of Beirut to track down his friend and CIA officer Cal Riley who’s been kidnapped and knows a lot of valuable info about day to day operations. Without giving away any story Mason Skiles runs into a lot of familiar faces on his way to trying to find his friend and gets a crash course on all that’s happened since he left ten years prior.

‍‍‍‍‍‍I enjoy‍‍‍ these types of films because they really do put another lens on how dangerous the rest of the world can truly be and how circumstance changes a lot of lives in an instant. With great acting, just enough action and just enough education these are films that definitely widen a perspective on our relations with other countries.