Backstabbing for Beginners does tell an interesting story about an event that probably not many people know or remember, and while it is fascinating, the final product was more on the respectable but not great spectrum.
Backstabbing for Beginners
(2018)
Genre(s): Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Lionsgate | R – 108 min. – $24.99 | April 24, 2018
Date Published: 04/16/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.25/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Idealistic UN employee Michael (THEO JAMES) begins working for seasoned diplomat Pasha (BEN KINGSLEY) and soon uncovers a vast global conspiracy, and massive corruption, surrounding the United Nation’s “Oil for Food” program amidst sanctions in Iraq and the upcoming invasion of the country by the United States and the coalition which would only lead to more chaos and fraud. Michael must wade through the mess as he also falls for a woman named Nashim (BELÇIM BILGIN), a translator and being Kurdish, is in fear for her life.
Quick Hit Review: Not sure how many remember the events surrounding the Iraq war, the aftermath and the scandal surrounding the United Nation’s Oil for Food program and I do barely recall watching (or reading) the news about it. This movie takes a closer look at the controversy and the massive amount of corruption that permeated before and, particularly, after the fall of Saddam, and some minor commentary on the motivations of nations. As interesting as the subject matter was, and it really is, the movie itself kind of just glides along at a decent pace, but in the end, I just had more of an indifferent opinion when it came to this film. The performances weren’t bad though Theo James has his customary gruff voice and stoic looks seen before in the Divergent franchise, and Ben Kingsley as usual has the on-screen weight even if his accent sounded a bit off, not sure if it’s the mixture of his native accent and Middle Eastern or some poor ADR work (or both).
Backstabbing for Beginners was directed and co-scripted by Per Fly, a filmmaker from Denmark, based off a novel by Michael Soussan. As well produced as the movie was, including filming in some exotic locations doubling for Iraq, I have to think a full-fledged documentary would’ve been better served rather than a feature film that does lag in spots and lacks any suspense-filled momentum. It’s worth a rental, not much more. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.25/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and unfortunately there’s only a short The Truth Behind Backstabbing for Beginners (8:16; HD) featurette. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| The movie is presented with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a good looking 1080p high-definition transfer. Colors appear natural looking throughout, being toned down during the Iraqi sequences while the scenes back in New York are darker but some minor splashes of color. Detail is relatively sharp and there were no apparent instances of artifacting or any other flaws (no surprise for being a new movie). |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The disc comes with a standard but effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Most of the movie is generally dialogue-heavy but we do get some modest depth in places like gunshots, cars moving in the desert, or some archive footage of the invasion which really gave my subwoofer did get a fine workout. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Backstabbing for Beginners does tell an interesting story about an event that probably not many people know or remember, and while it is fascinating, the final product was more on the respectable but not great spectrum. The performances were at least fine even if Ben Kingsley’s accent was distracting and Theo James looked more stoic rather than anything bordering on emotional. The Blu-ray release offers up great video/audio transfers and a lackluster featurette. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.