Unknown to him, Syrian-Canadian Adib Abdul-Kareem's eldest daughter Muna, a photographer, has traveled to his homeland to find out more about her father, as he had never talked about his Syrian past to his family. He does learn about her travels only because she has gone missing in Damascus, most of her belongings still in her hotel room. Adib decides to head back to Damascus to find her, and enlists the help of his old girlfriend Fatima, a Canadian diplomat named Paul, and an old colleague Sayid to find Muna while he's in Damascus, some who seem to know more about Muna's disappearance than they initially let on to Adib. Adib does this all at his own personal risk as he used to work in the Syrian military secret service, and was convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for purportedly being an Israeli spy. Adib, who managed to get back into Syria on an illegal visa with Fatima's help, has to uncover why Muna has gone missing and if it has anything to do with his Syrian past. He also has to reconcile with Fatima, who long felt abandoned by Adib when he left the country thirty years ago. One afternoon, on a typical day at work, Adib is confronted with devastating news: His eldest daughter, Muna, has gone missing in Damascus. Now Adib, who has not been back in over 20 years, must return to Syria and deal with his secret past in order to find her. Inescapable is a thriller about a father's desperate search for his daughter and the chaos of the Middle East he left behind. It's a shame that this movie is a mess, as we rarely see movies set in Syria, especially now with the political upheaval taking place there. Despite an admirable attempt in terms of production design to recreate a Damascus atmosphere, there is no sense of authenticity. Two great actors (Siddig and Tomei) are wasted on a clunky plot (mostly lifted from TAKEN, but without any of the excitement), and even clunkier direction. If it weren't for those two talents the movie would be completely unwatchable. And the music is just too emphatic, as if to cover up for the lack of genuine mystery and thrill. It's like blowing smoke in your eyes. I haven't seen the other movies that this director has made, but I understand that she is better at handling love stories. Perhaps she should stick to that instead of this cliché-ridden enterprise. Adib's (Alexander Siddig) daughter goes missing in Damascus, Syria and he must go and find her; but Adib has a secret that has kept him from Syria for 20-years. Actually, 2-secrets. This whole movie hinges on the reason his daughter went to Damascus in the first place when she was supposed to be on her way home to Toronto, Canada. <br/><br/>This is very slow going, but consider that if Adib goes back to a country that he escaped from and if caught now he would be arrested. He knows the customs of the country and still knows some people who are in high places, sort of. Language is no problem as he knows Arabic. Ah, but he does go back and knows he must approach everything slowly as there are many secret police units all over the place in this police state. <br/><br/>Adib needs help from someone who can do the things he needs done to find his daughter. The help comes from Fatima (Marisa Tomei) who Adib was supposed to marry back in the day, but he escaped and never made contact with her again. And, to be sure, Fatima tells him all about it in a rough and tumble way; and she is still in love with him. Okay, so now you know one secret. <br/><br/>So he goes to the Canadian Embassy (Adib is a Canadian citizen) for any help they can provide. He goes to see his old friend in Syrian Military Intelligence, and tries to run down a old Russian spy he knew back in the day to get his help. Adib knows he is being watched by factions of the Secret Police and is acutely aware that he could be arrested at any moment as now people are beginning to see him and do some research about him. But, no tension is felt. <br/><br/>This is sometimes suspenseful, but the tension is not there. The acting is fine all around, but also halting as one would expect in a place like this where one must choose one's words carefully. But, still no tension. <br/><br/>One thing that bothered me was that he wanders all over Damascus in a new Western suit, which stuck out like a sore thumb; and later he walks around openly in a newly pressed ultra white dress shirt. He should have worn things to blend in more, but the director didn't see it that way. She was never a spy. HA !<br/><br/>You will enjoy this if you take Adib's character to be your own. Sometimes you may ask yourself if you would have done anything different aside from the suit and the white shirt, of course. He knows people and needs to ask favors and he has to be careful about it. And, yes, he does get beaten up at times, but still no tension. If there was a way to get tension in here this would be a very good movie. It needed tension. (5/10)<br/><br/>Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, not much. The next time Siddig plays a man of intrigue, let’s hope he’s chasing something more interesting than a clueless kid.
Walaenthu replied
354 weeks ago