Exploring foreign films on Netflix (plus one Hollywood film)
Yesterday, I was bored, so I watched three films back to back. Mosul, A Man Apart and The Last Runway. Let's begin with Mosul!What is it about? It's set in the Iraqi city of Mosul, at the height of the ISIS regime, and we follow a small Iraqi swat team, in their efforts to fight back against the terrorist movement. All the actors are Iraqi or Arabic, meaning that this film is in Arabic, with very few English phrases. The movie is filled with fantastic moments, and it also has a fair amount of blood and gore. If you like foreign films, give this a watch. Just do me a favor: Watch it in the original language with subtitles for the best experience.
Next up is A Man Apart, starring Vin Diesel as Sean, an ex-gang banger turned DEA special agent, who busts a drug lord on Mexican soil. However, retaliation is swift, and after a tragic event, Sean digs deep into his past and unleashes justice his own way. This is an old fashioned revenge action flick, with decent performances by Diesel and his co-stars, and it's worth a watch on a Sunday morning, when you don't have anything else to do. It's not bad, but it's not good either. It's a middle of the road typical American revenge flick, with some explosions and shootouts, and a plot that is pretty solid.
So that leads me to the last film on today's blog: The Last Runway (or Leal, solo hay una forma de vivir), if we have to get specific. After a series of embarrassing attempts at busting a drug lord, a former Colonel, Fernandez, is appointed Minister of the National Anti-Drug Agency (SENAD). He purges the special forces, and starts from scratch to fight the first of many battles against the drug trafficking on the border of Paraguay and Argentina. As with Mosul, this film is in a different language than English. It is Spanish this time, which makes the movie super fun to watch. It has everything: Action, comedy and a fair bit of good music as well. The main villain is.. Not very threatening, however his brother is. He comes across as someone with a VERY short fuse, not something you want while running a drug smuggling ring. But the movie DOES get credit for being very inventive with the camera angles.
Grade time! Mosul gets a 9/10. Great film, highly recommended! A Man Apart gets a 6/10. Nothing special, but just a middle of the road grade. The Last Runway gets an 8/10. Fun and extremely creative!