This is a film to unnerve any New Yorker, as it wanders city landmarks, like Grand Central Terminal, with destruction in mind...
The War Within (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:57
Fresh:41
Rotten:16
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: The War Within attempts to get into the mind of a terrorist, and the result is believable and unsettling.
Theatrical Release:Sep 30, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: The War Within is the story of Hassan, a Pakistani engineering student in Paris who is apprehended by western intelligence services for suspected terrorist activities. After his interrogation,... The War Within is the story of Hassan, a Pakistani engineering student in Paris who is apprehended by western intelligence services for suspected terrorist activities. After his interrogation, Hassan undergoes a radical transformation and embarks upon a terrorist mission, surreptitiously entering the United States to join a cell based in New York City. After meticulous planning for an event of maximum devastation, all the members of the cell are arrested, except for Hussan and one other. With no alternative and nowhere else to turn, Hassan must rely on the hospitality of his former best friend Sayeed, who is living the American dream with his family in New Jersey. Deciding to go forward and carry out his own attack, Hassan takes advantage of Sayeed's generosity while plotting his strategy and amassing materials to create explosives. Eventually, Hassan's skewed religious fervor clashes with his feelings for Sayeed and his family, especially Sayeed's sister Duri. --© Magnolia Pictures [More]
Starring: Ayad Akhtar, Firdous Bamji
Starring: Ayad Akhtar, Firdous Bamji
Director: Joseph Castelo
Director: Joseph Castelo
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
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Reviews for The War Within
The premise is indeed engaging, but the conversations are simplistic.
An affecting portrait of the torturous schism between radical Muslims and those who’ve embraced the West.
Akhtar, who also co-wrote the screenplay, is unable to convey Hassan's internal conflicts with any force.
You glance at Hassan with sympathy, which is immediately neutralized by the assurance that this man would kill you without a thought in the name of his god. You pray to yours that he'll change his mind.
You just can't believe Hassan can see so much innocent humanity and still choose mass murder. And then Hassan quietly intones "God is great," and you realize he can no longer see them at all.
Castelo, working with a meager budget and few familiar faces..., adroitly turns Hassan's moral and religious struggle into a tension-building experience.
The storyline in The War Within is far from fluid and, at times, overwrought. But it doesn't stop the film from capturing one's interest.
...a challenging film that builds to a riveting climax and is certain to spark discussion across partisan lines.
The very model of the self-hating liberal consciousness; no matter his better intentions, he finds himself blaming the victim for the crime.
It’s thanks to Akhtar’s standout performance that The War Within is as electrifying as it is.
Almost everything that happens feels true and horrifying, and yet it's done so well you can't look away.
never comes close to subscribing to Hassan’s actions nor to excusing his motives, but does lay out in stark detail exactly what drove him to it [making it] essential viewing
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| 43% 43% | The Proposal |
| 26% 26% | Land of the Lost |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 88% 88% | Ballast |
| 67% 67% | The Merry Gentleman |
| 56% 56% | Enlighten Up! |
| 13% 13% | Spread |
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