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| Joined: | Mon Oct 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Florida USA |
| Posts: | 1019 |
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Angelina Jolie plays American journalist Daniel Pearl's pregnant wife, Mariane. The pair are staying in Karachi, Pakistan, where they both work as journlists. Pearl disappears one night while trying to meet someone for a story. You probably remember the tragic end to this story.
Knowing the sad end when one goes to a movie is discomfiting to begin with. The movie just keeps building tension. The crowded, traffic burdened street scenes of Karachi brought back memories of Manila where I used to live. If anything, though, Karachi is a far more formidable place than Manila. What struck me is in the street scenes, pretty much all you see are men, especailly in the night scenes.
The multi-national group of Pakistanis and Americans who hunt for Pearl in a desperate attempt to find him is truly laudable for their cooperation and seriousness of purpose. Still some government officials did not believe it was Al Queda or other Jihadists, but the kidnappers were acting on behalf of the country of India trying to "embarrass' Pakistan.
As the days pass without finding Pearl, the Pakistani police begin to play hardball and put heavy pressure on people who have tidbits of information. It was pretty hard to watch.
In spite of all the heroic efforts to free Pearl, we know the terrible end. Angelina Jolie, as the frightened, frustrated and anxious wife plays a very convincing part, plus she really looks like Daniel Pearl's wife. It was also interesting to see all the effort made to find Pearl.
But watching that movie just makes you realize how hard the fight against terrorism is, just on sheer numbers of Jihadists alone. Too, when you see Karachi, you realize how hard it would be to find anyone and how easy it would be for sinister groups to hide.
It is not a comfortable movie to see. There is Oscar buzz for Jolie's portrayal of Mariane Pearl. One does really sympathize with Mrs. Pearl's situation and that of her husband too. If this kind of movie is what you enjoy, go see it. There were just six people in the theater where we saw it for the 11:30AM, Friday showing. The movie deserves to have many more viewers, but I am afraid the story is one that will scare audiences away.