It's 2002. Michael Sullivan (Theo James) is hired for a job in the UN's Food for Oil program working under Pasha Pasaris (Ben Kingsley). There are obvious kickbacks, corruption, and deliberate diversion of aid for the Kurds. Michael points it out but Pasha tells him to spin everything for the sake of the people. Pasha's boss Christina Dupre (Jacqueline Bisset) is writing a report to the UN and distrusts him intensely. The CIA wants to recruit Michael. He comes from a family of diplomats and his father died in the Beirut bombing. In Iraq, he falls for translator Nashim Hussani.
This is trying to be Jack Ryan with a real world scandal. While I like the attempt, I would like Michael to be presented as smarter than this. He lacks enough cynical street smarts and sincere boy scout smarts. Sure, he's a reality person making reality mistakes. He needs to speak the truth inside his head even if he does make mistakes. It's fine for him to give in to the nihilism if he tells us with his inner voice. This does not have the tension to be a good fictional thriller. It does not have enough of the truth to be a historical drama. It does have just enough of both to be passable.
This is trying to be Jack Ryan with a real world scandal. While I like the attempt, I would like Michael to be presented as smarter than this. He lacks enough cynical street smarts and sincere boy scout smarts. Sure, he's a reality person making reality mistakes. He needs to speak the truth inside his head even if he does make mistakes. It's fine for him to give in to the nihilism if he tells us with his inner voice. This does not have the tension to be a good fictional thriller. It does not have enough of the truth to be a historical drama. It does have just enough of both to be passable.