Beirut

Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: April 11, 2018

6.4	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 63 Ratings

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TVJerryApr 13, 2018

Jon Hamm gets his first leading film role as a US diplomat who's called back to the titular city to negotiate a prisoner exchange. He does a good job of staying on top of Tony Gilroy's continuous dialogue. But unlike the "Bourne" films theJon Hamm gets his first leading film role as a US diplomat who's called back to the titular city to negotiate a prisoner exchange. He does a good job of staying on top of Tony Gilroy's continuous dialogue. But unlike the "Bourne" films the writer is know for, this is much more about political conflict and intrigue than action (there are only very short, minor action scenes). For someone who's not familiar with the historical importance of the events in the 80s Lebanon (like me), the complexity of the machinations and layers of leaders may sometimes be confusing. Still, the film moves briskly and makes sufficient sense to keep it involving. It helps that Hamm's performance provides a strong central core.… Expand

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tropicAcesApr 11, 2018

Hamm is solid and the film looks like it actually takes place in the 1980s, but through a large chunk of the runtime it's just a bore to sit through...

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amheretojudgeJun 20, 2018

a brief depiction of the actual side of the coin..

Beirut The premise is familiar to the audience and walks on the usual structure that may be off putting, but since it is to-the-point, fast paced, gut-wrenching tale of an underrateda brief depiction of the actual side of the coin..

Beirut

The premise is familiar to the audience and walks on the usual structure that may be off putting, but since it is to-the-point, fast paced, gut-wrenching tale of an underrated bravery of a middle-aged man looking for a closure, it works just fine. It is short on technical aspects like sound department and the camera work, although it is finely edited. The screenplay by Tony Gilroy is gripping and adaptive, if not smarter as it should be, its "safe play" does pay off if considered the bigger picture. Brad Anderson; the director, has done a decent work on depicting such a dark, raw and brutal world where his character revolves around and is utterly palpable to its tone even though it is extracted from one's typical textbook formula. Jon Hamm delivers on performance level as much as he could but unfortunately the protagonist is undercooked and the supporting cast like Rosamund Pike and Shea Whigham doesn't get much range and room to factor in. The primary reason it works despite of such flaws is that it takes lesser time to make its point and keeps the audience engaged in this character driven feature which is quite difficult to do so. Beirut is a brief description of the actual side of the coin, no matter how inedible and dark it might get for the audience, it certainly is electrifying at its peak.… Expand

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CopperwiireMay 25, 2018

Considered an espionage thriller without a lot of showcasing of the actual espionage this films spans a decade between events surrounding diplomat Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) which first causes him to leave Beirut and events that force him toConsidered an espionage thriller without a lot of showcasing of the actual espionage this films spans a decade between events surrounding diplomat Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) which first causes him to leave Beirut and events that force him to return a decade later during the Lebanese Civil War between 1972-1982. Directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist & Session 9) in his biggest budget film to date.

Written by Tony Gilroy who has had a hand in many films (Rogue One, Nightcrawler, Duplicity etc) is always able to add a good deal of human element to characters. Cast wise this film stars the incomparable Jon Hamm and very talented actress Rosamund Pike who traverse their way through the war torn streets of Beirut to track down his friend and CIA officer Cal Riley who’s been kidnapped and knows a lot of valuable info about day to day operations. Without giving away any story Mason Skiles runs into a lot of familiar faces on his way to trying to find his friend and gets a crash course on all that’s happened since he left ten years prior.

‍‍‍‍‍‍I enjoy‍‍‍ these types of films because they really do put another lens on how dangerous the rest of the world can truly be and how circumstance changes a lot of lives in an instant. With great acting, just enough action and just enough education these are films that definitely widen a perspective on our relations with other countries.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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LegendaryLassDec 14, 2018

Beirut is a good cast waiting for something interesting to happen. Hamm is in fine form despite the so-so script.

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EdeltraudApr 15, 2018

One thing that bugs me about so many films with serious subject matter is the tendency to over use "darkness" to convey the mood. (Or rain, but not in this case.) Everything in shadows or washed out, even scenes in regular office spaces thatOne thing that bugs me about so many films with serious subject matter is the tendency to over use "darkness" to convey the mood. (Or rain, but not in this case.) Everything in shadows or washed out, even scenes in regular office spaces that no doubt are well lit. Very few films in this genre dare to let the action take place in daylight -- which to me makes events more terrifying. An ordinary day, then ka-boom. This film was so (physically, environmentally) dark, with even people's faces in deep shadow 9/10ths of the time. Just made me want to nap. While this was Hamm's film & he was good, the story could have been far more interesting to have more development in the characters -- such as the 13 year old's transformation to his adult role -- what happened, how, etc. Same with Rosamond Pike's character -- just give me some insight into how she ended up there. Even Hamm's alcoholism seemed shallow & just a device -- why not have it affect his judgement or otherwise really interfere or shape his actions. Everything he did seemed to work out just fine. I did like that the story seemed to unfold realistically but it walked the line between verite & tedium at some points. There were moments of intrigue & thrills, of course, but over all this treatment just left me feeling blah.… Expand

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moviecritic68Apr 12, 2018

Happen to agree with some fellow critics. Lead role by Hamm was well done but the film seemed to slow down throughout causing me to phase in & out. Filming was above average. Almost graded in green but my periodic boredom with the story prevented me.

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