When watching a well structured movie, the characters are built up and the plot has convincing connections. This is where the movie falls short. Not enough character and plot detail. Too much time spent on relatively boring meetings between loosely connected characters which fail to make a convincing push for the plot as a whole. Ironically this makes the film more realistic. But it does not make it entertaining.
What I liked about the movie was its honest account of the identity crisis for angry British Muslims caught between two cultures and feeling powerless in a war of words in the media. Inexperienced, they want to stand up for something righteous, but get sucked into terrorism. I particularly like the scene where the two main protagonists on either side are questioning right and wrong, and the dialogue emphasises the betrayals faced in modern times, as they both come to terms with their chosen roles.
The plot twist is interesting and adds real weight to the storyline. However, the ending is clumsy. The same scene could have been managed better. No need for the evidence at the scene for example. Characters were a bit weak too. The audience needs to have some empathy with the characters for the movie to be entertaining. In this film the characters are mostly cold and hard to empathise with. Not easy I guess in a serious film about lives in terrorism.
Considering the small budget, from a visual point of view the film was well directed. If it had been scripted with a bit more substance and flavour, it could have been a strong film rather than just an average one.
Still worth watching as it is both honest and controversial.
What I liked about the movie was its honest account of the identity crisis for angry British Muslims caught between two cultures and feeling powerless in a war of words in the media. Inexperienced, they want to stand up for something righteous, but get sucked into terrorism. I particularly like the scene where the two main protagonists on either side are questioning right and wrong, and the dialogue emphasises the betrayals faced in modern times, as they both come to terms with their chosen roles.
The plot twist is interesting and adds real weight to the storyline. However, the ending is clumsy. The same scene could have been managed better. No need for the evidence at the scene for example. Characters were a bit weak too. The audience needs to have some empathy with the characters for the movie to be entertaining. In this film the characters are mostly cold and hard to empathise with. Not easy I guess in a serious film about lives in terrorism.
Considering the small budget, from a visual point of view the film was well directed. If it had been scripted with a bit more substance and flavour, it could have been a strong film rather than just an average one.
Still worth watching as it is both honest and controversial.