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Charlotte O'Sullivan's rating
No Justice
By
Charlotte O'Sullivan
29 Nov 2007
After a Mighty Heart, this is the second film this year to be based on the horrific death of journalist Daniel Pearl. But Jamil Dehlavi's political thriller isn't so much a portrait of Pearl the man, as an attempt to get behind the gung-ho theatricals of America's War on Terror.
The title may sound like one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's action flicks, but it was in fact George Bush's first choice for his post-9/11 campaign.
The problem is that Dehlavi's alternative reality - in which moderates within and without the world of Islamic fundamentalism establish a dialogue - doesn't ring true either.
Art-house crowds will be put off by the cheesy contrivance. Van Damme fans who favour the "crush skulls now, ask questions later" school of diplomacy will find it too grim.
In cinema, as in politics, it's hard to find common ground.
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