Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!
Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.
Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
McMurphy I'm still in that post-amazement daze.First, I almost never last two seconds on "story telling" documentaries (I need in-the-moment action and suspense). This still had action and suspense for two reasons:1. The story was incredible.2. There was plenty of original footage (I saw a review stating that this was just guys in a room talking, but that is untrue - lots of original footage).You just can't believe that this really happened. Not with a person so high in the Hamas hierarchy.And there was no boring build-up. I hate having to "invest" time, risking my time for an unknown pay-off. The story, editing, and people grabbed me from the beginning.All I'm going to say is that you get the perspective of both the Hamas leader's son, and his "handler."All you need is the capacity for reason, and at least a minimal awareness of the Israel-Palastine conflict; and you will probably enjoy this.
jamesrichy1961 80% of the scenes in this movie are just straight on facial shots of two people telling a story. That is not interesting or creative film making. The rest looks like stock news footage. No interviews with other people, the affected families, people on the street - nothing. A film maker should bring a story to life, give it context, and make it exciting to watch. Having a camera on someone's face and getting them to talk for 90 minutes is not film making. If this was produced by a film student, I would give them an F. Too bad. It's an interesting idea, but told in the most dull, boring way imaginable. This is definitely one of the worst films I have seen in the last 5 years. It is so bad, it is almost unbelievable.
xeni-dautzi I'm not going to write too much as I'm not experienced in reviewing and am simply studying film and happened to attend a Documentary Festival to view this documentary without knowing the context of it. I personally found this documentary to be very educational and interesting, the story being told by the real subjects, not actors, as many people think, really makes a difference. It was highly informative but has been described as one sided by many viewers, I suppose you could say so but as John Battsek stated in an interview 'You cannot satisfy both sides'. After watching this documentary there was a debate about it between a Palestinian and an expert in Palestinian politics and history, they described this documentary as 'Israeli Propaganda', however I feel that their reasons for this were more personal than simply critiquing the film. I found it enticing and was drawn into the story with its original footage and narration. It didn't focus on anything but the Hamas movement and the involvement of the Shin Bet, things like the lack of information on certain events such as assassinations etc. but that was not meant to be the focus of this documentary and therefore I find the little information given justified.
ilania_a This was the opening film at the 34th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and what a good choice it was! It is a documentary, of which there were quite a few in this edition of the festival, however, this was not a regular documentary - it left a very strong impact.Before the film the Director, Nadav Schirman, came on stage and explained that this is a film about two people who have learnt to trust each other. Of course it is much more than that - it is an eye opener! But this is for each of us to reflect upon.From the first shot of Mosab on screen looking straight at the audience with his piercing, expressive eyes I was mesmerized. After the film, the two main personalities came on stage: Mosab Hassan Yousef, the author of the book "Son of Hamas" on which this film was based, and Gonen Ben Yitzhak, his spy handler. The film moved back and forth in time, recounting the events of a ten-year period, since Mosab was seventeen. A time in which he was constantly in danger or in prison. After the film screening, Mosab Hassan Yousef explained that he was striving to avoid unnecessary killings saying: "We are all children of the Devine".
