Mosul

A militaristic action movie without western stars, filmed (evidently) in the authentic setting of the ruins of a post-war Iraqi city. We spend the whole time with a unit of local soldiers who are the only ones to have abandoned the fight against ISIS. And we follow their mission with a classified and quite surprising objective. We get a superficial look into the film’s characters, but otherwise it is just starkly realistic, dusty infantry action, redeemed by a more spirited, emotional conclusion. (14/02/2021)

The anticipated Mosul from the Russo brothers on Netflix is a slight disappointment for me, and maybe the TV series Fauda, which I finished watching yesterday, is to blame for that. Mosul takes place in Iraq, where we follow a SWAT unit as they navigate enemy territory with the mission of rescuing a child. I was bothered that none of the SWAT characters are interesting; I can't remember a single name already. All the characters are interchangeable, none stand out, and that undermines the film. After the initial action set-piece, the film takes a turn (do we really have to watch the SWAT team watching a soap opera on TV and smoking a hookah?) and becomes more of a drama, which surprisingly didn't entertain me at all. The action is lacking for my taste, and even when it does happen, it's not very interesting, not brutal or intense enough. The only thing I can praise is that characters are eliminated even within their own ranks. I was disappointed that there isn't even a proper villain – ISIS is not explored here, they only serve as foot soldiers – and the strange ending didn't sit well with me either. Mosul is decently shot, and those with low expectations might enjoy it more, but it didn't impress me at all. Story***, Action***, Humor>No, Violence**, Entertainment***, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere***, Tension***. 6/10. (27/11/2020)