Shoot on Sight

I just came from the cinema from watching "Shoot on Sight".

I have to say that the tag line cached my attention since I first saw it, being interested in the movie itself, and what was it about. Being a Criminology student, it's not hard to find interesting how people react to racism, and how people sometimes overreact to it. Some good points are made on that respect (when Ali learns about the wife of the "racist" cop, for example).

Now, getting into the movie itself, it looks like a TV-drama. It's not a judgement, it's just an opinion that doesn't either make it good or bad. Some of the plot related elements look a bit forced, in order to make the characters more "popular" amongst the public, I guess. The pace is steady, and the movie doesn't refrain from giving some "shock moments", which I particularly love. This makes the whole thing a bit real. However, don't expect great shoot-outs, people jumping on the air whilst firing two guns, or people shooting to the air and shouting "AAAAH" (see Hot Fuzz). It has action, understand me, but in a more steady way.

However, the important thing about the movie (and basically what I went to see it for) is the plot, and what it deals with. Islamic terrorism is something quite present on British society, and even more present in London, and even talking about it might be seen by some as racism. As one of the characters say, not all Muslims are Islamic terrorists, but all the Islamic terrorists are Muslim. Again, not being racist, just realistic. The film manages to stay in a neutral position, and not failing in a pro-Islams/anti-Islams position (which I feared, to be honest). It is neither a terrorist manifesto, nor an auto-criminalisation of all Muslims. Stays well balanced in very unstable grounds.

I gave it a 8/10. Worth watching.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

This curiously old fashioned (in terms of style and presentation) thriller was released in 2007 but has the look of a film from about 1997. However old it looks, though, it's got a story torn straight from today's headlines with it's themes of suicide bombings and brain washings of young muslims into fanatical extremism, and even more so about them being homegrown. The opening gambit of an innocent man being shot by armed police is also an obvious slant with the real life shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes. However, none of it is presented in a dark, foreboding sort of way, more in the style of a slick, efficient thriller like in the style of an episode of The Bill. While none of it offers any serious food for thought, it's well made and enjoyable enough on this level. ***

I'm failing to understand how anybody could give this more than three or four stars. Everything about it reeks of ITV drama; the entire premise has been simplified to a ridiculous point and the presence of serious budget restrictions are hard to ignore. Anyone who has complemented the soundtrack should get their ears checked, along with the rapid scene changes it just adds to the undue sense of melodrama.

I was going to give one star but the performances of the lead characters deserve more than that. However the supporting cast are just shocking - although I feel a lot of this is due to the unnatural dialogue in the script.

How this ever made it onto the big screen is beyond me.

Don't let the tagline deceive you"

The film attempts to portray a complex issue, but ultimately falls short. It suggests that sympathizing with Muslims automatically equates to sympathizing with potential terrorists. This is a harmful stereotype that reinforces Islamophobia.

The tagline is misleading. While the film does explore themes of racial profiling and the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings, it ultimately reinforces rather than challenges existing prejudices. For example, the scene where a white police officer interrogates a young Muslim man using racist language is problematic. While the film attempts to justify this behavior by revealing the officer's interracial marriage, it does not adequately address the systemic issues of racism within law enforcement.

Furthermore, the romantic subplot between the cousins feels unnecessary and detracts from the film's more serious themes.

It's important to note that the director's religious background does not inherently determine the quality or accuracy of the film. However, in this case, the film seems to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Muslims, which is disappointing.

I watched the film 'Shoot On Sight' at Dubai festival and I must say it was one of the best films I have ever seen on the rise of Islamic terrorism in the 21st century. No western filmmaker, so far, has been able to understand why Islamic terrorists blast others and kill themselves. But director Jag Mundhra depicts the diatribe of hate-preachers in a powerful as well as chilling style. Om Puri's performance as Imam gives you goose pimples, particularly, when he incites mobs not to treat westerners innocents. He puts a spin on who is and who isn't innocent. He asks that those who kill and maim in Iraq and Palestine- are they innocent? I came out of the theatre so shocked and well-informed in a positive way.

The great thing about 'Shoot On Sight' is its pace. It moves like a taut thriller but at the same time offers incisive understanding of how Islamic terrorists are recruited. And, yet the film is largely sympathetic to Islam and its followers.

The film offers memorable performances by Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri. Greta Scacchi, Ralph Ineson, Brian Cox and Laila Rouass also came up with credible performances. Sadie Frost, I'm sorry to say, was disappointing and so was the music of the film leaving much to be desired. Frost was expression less and Altman's music had no Islamic or for that matter South Asian soul.

I'll give four stars out of five to 'Shoot On Sight' because it documents the menace of Islamic terrorism in such a powerful, entertaining and yet