TroliusMaximus

Due to this film not (repeat: NOT) obligatorily portraying Israel as some helpless sheep stuck in a sea of blood-thirsty Moslem wolves -- rather, as the arguable antagonist to Middle East ruckus (indeed, a view that anyone who has taken it upon themselves to learn a modicum unvetted history, would attest to) -- many aspiring and / or employed JIDF online propaganda trolls have infested the IMDb reviews section of this film, in order to try to down-vote it into oblivion. To be fair, I'm frankly surprised a film that paints the Israelis in such a, at best, dubious light -- as well as the Americans as being the unwitting (read: witless) peace-keepers, stuck between the former faction, its colonised foe(s) and their regional, hegemonic bent -- was given the green light (seeing as how pro-Israel Hollywood has infamously been... for obvious reasons).

That being said, and politics aside, this film, albeit somewhat formulaic in narrative, is well-acted, well shot and has good pacing for its 100-plus-minute run-time. It stars Paul Hamm, who gives a polished performance. and the forever reliable Rosamund Pike -- a cast pairing that, alone, warrants this film's viewing. Beirut does not do anything particularly new, nor engender anything that stands out from the herd of 'Middle East malaise' themed -- that is, and as broached, aside from its depiction of the Israeli side, as it relates to the trilateral dispute that the film's subtext centres on.

As such, and irrespective of its by-the-numbers approach, the film still feels refreshing -- in it breaking the 'hasbara' mould that has become all too commonplace in films dealing with this eristic subject matter. Beirut's undertones create a glimmer of hope for the mainstream worm to yet turn and, perhaps, sometime in the distant future, for the world to approach the, what has long become a veritable meme of "peace in the Middle East", from a standpoint rooted in reality; nay emotion, fake / vetted news and propaganda.