Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Harvey Keitel | ... | The Merchant | |
Jane March | ... | Leda | |
Jordi Mollà | ... | Alceo (as Jordi Molla) | |
F. Murray Abraham | ... | Shahid | |
Paco Reconti | ... | Valerio Vergotto | |
Bruno Bilotta | ... | Libero | |
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Lucilla Agosti | ... | Lydia |
Dhafer L'Abidine | ... | 1st Egyptian (as Dhaffer Labidine) | |
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Eddy Lemare | ... | 2nd Egyptian |
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Federica Martinelli | ... | Rita |
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Eleonora Martinelli | ... | The Merchant Assistant |
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Riccardo Forte | ... | Doc. Casellato |
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Alena Ivanov | ... | Russian Woman |
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Maria Grazia Adamo | ... | Female Student |
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Jonis Bashir | ... | 1st Somali |
A thesis picture: is Western Europe turning a blind eye to the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism? Professor Alceo Bandini believes so. He writes and lectures to a few students at a Roman university; he's also a victim of a terrorist attack in Kenya where he lost both legs. On a short holiday in Cappadoccia with his wife Leda, they meet Shahid, an enigmatic cleric, and Ludovico Vicedomini, a forceful gem merchant. Back in Rome, Ludovico attempts the seduction of Leda while Alceo is suspicious of his new acquaintances' politics. The police counter-terrorists discount Alceo's fears: he's paranoid and jealous, they believe. What is going on? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I'm a fairly passive critic of movies usually, but I would have guilt-ridden nights if I didn't do my part in exposing the crassness of this particular film.
The opening scene, though not particularly original, looks somewhat promising -but it all comes crashing down from there. The B (or C) rate acting is exposed from the first word uttered and the cinematography is rushed and confused. But that's a "relatively" minor fault. The plot is so savagely simplistic, churning out such skewed analyses as 'But not all Muslims are terrorists -Yes, but most terrorists are Muslims' to deliver it's never-trust-a-Muslim message, you wonder how it made it through even the most bigoted film censors. I am ashamed to say that I watched until the end, with the faint hope that maybe this was actually going to turn into one big joke aimed at exposing a narrow-minded western understanding of Islam. But alas, the film stays its course until its dismal, racist end.
Its one redeeming factor is that it is so plain bad, that it serves as an own-goal to those half-wit neo-cons.
Harvey! What were you thinking when you read the script?! What a hopeless waste of money.