Damascus Cover (2017) User Reviews

Damascus Cover: I've seen much Worse...

[niutta-enrico · 6/10 · 26 July 2018]

A honest artistic work: well acted, well shot, well edited. And middle east is always an interesting location. The plot is not the most brilliant ever written but I bet that most of us will not foresee the ending.

I don't understand why exceeding in negative reviews: not every film can be worth an Academy Award. But if you love cinema there is a good chance that you'll enjoy the flick.

I am old and I've seen much worse...

Not a bad movie, few mistakes noticed

[odaime_tony · 5/10 · 22 October 2020]

I can say it's not a bad movie but still there is some mistakes in it like in a scene supposed to be in the 1989 or 1990 you see cars with 2015 models in the street along with split type air conditions that was not available at that time specially in damascus. over all it was nice to watch it with the story complications that keep you waiting till the end to know the whole story.

A Beige Suit of a Movie

[nevadamontagu · 5/10 · 14 October 2018]

So bland. Very poor acting at times. It sounds like they're reading their lines. A slow, meandering pace. I'm writing this review as I'm watching it because I'm bored.

Bad script, bad cast, bad directing....

[MovieIQTest · 24 July 2018]

This is a quite mediocre spy movie. I used to like this genre a lot and would have the keenest interest to see them through, but this film, well, right after about 15 minutes, I've already got bored, lost my interest and became awfully impatient to watch along. During the fifteen minutes, I've first found out that the casting job was terrible; Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who played the main role as an Israeli spy, was a terrible cast, I couldn't stand his swaggering walking and his faulty ridiculed way of speaking, trying to be a mixture of German and Israeli person. Then again, Olivia Thirlby, who played a USA Today journalist, shooting pictures of those Israeli weirdos around the Weeping Wall without any obvious reason. Then an absolutely weak and unconvincing chaos was so conveniently created and suddenly died down to offer the opportunity for her and JRM's acquaintance. What an awkward and terrible scenario that only a lousy screenplay would have crafted. Then finding and signing up lot of Middle Eastern actors with big hooked noses and demonic vicious faces to play the Syrians simply further turned me off right away.

It's such an one-dimensional and highly predictable film, extremely mediocre. The only thing that worths your time was to take a look at those exotic scenes of the Middle Eastern city and village views, which by the same token, we've already seen thousand times in other films, including those travel documentary films and magazines. I'd never recommend you to waste your precious time to watch this mediocre film.

Wtf

[Ceredon1 · 3/10 · 8 November 2018]

First of all, the voice. For some reason Meyers decided he wanted to try to sound like the dark knight, but ends up sounding like he's got a sore throat throughout the film. He half whispers, half rasps out his lines. Very annoying.

Next, the plots/writing/storyline. If you told me that this was a high school credit production, I would believe it. The writing was horrible. Pat, stunted, predictable drivel. Conversation was awkward, story was predictable and characters were transparent and shallow.

Was hoping for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Got punk'd.

Well Crafted Indie Spy Movie

[hansolo111 · 7/10 · 31 July 2018]

I was impressed by this movie. The cinematography was notably good, providing one with a good feel of the atmosphere of the locations in which this film was shot.

I also enjoyed the political comments that punctuated this movie, without being 'preachy'; something that would certainly turn me off a movie.

The performances were strong, but at the same time not overly dramatic, which gave the movie the gravitas and tension required for a film in this genre. The storyline keeps you engaged from start to finish, and you leave the theatre suitably entertained - which is what you want.

Is this film a big budget production like 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'? No. Is it a good independent movie that will entertain you? Yes.

A shallow contrivance......

[s3276169 · 4/10 · 15 August 2018]

In spite of sporting a decent cast Damascus Cover, fails to impress. This is what I would describe as a "template film". It takes a standardised formula that been used many times before and adds in actors, props and sets, along with rather conventional narrative.

The result is a shallow contrivance that lacks flair, corralling the actors performance's, offering little in the way of character growth and artistic improvisation. This is a genuine shame too, as there is some real talent in this cast, including I believe the final performance by the truly wonderful John Hurt.

Just as regrettable is this film seems intent on portraying Syria as a haven for human rights abusers, torturers and escaped Nazi's. The latter hob nob with senior Syrian officials, whilst living the high life in Damascus. Whilst indeed there was a senior Nazi residing in Syria, he was not feted by the government but instead died whilst effectively under house arrest.

Simply put there is not a lot to like here. I watched all of this film but found I was bored a good portion of the time by its overall blandness and lack of objectivity. Suffice to say there are far far better espionage thrillers on offer than this tepid affair. 4/10 from me.

Serviceable Spy Thriller

[dave-is-where · 7/10 · 26 July 2018]

I was able to watch it all the way through without regret, which is more than I can say for most movies these days. Nothing great, but not that bad either. I found the sound track kind of weird, the dialogue was so crisp and clear I almost thought it was looped, but I am not sure. It sounded like the mics were almost in the mouth of the characters as they spoke. Kind of off-putting.

Disaster movie

[ebabaco · 1/10 · 29 July 2018]

I believe the director has no idea about damascus You cant make a film about this city in another place specially the whole environment of the movie doesn't look like levant countries

Also during the movie it show huge photo on a bulding for Assad's family the father and his 2 son While this photo in 1989 doesn't exist cause the sons were very young at that time

Also when the camera was moving in the streets there were new models car how come ??

And many many other mistakes Horrible

Not a bad little film!

[tcbcn2003 · 7/10 · 9 October 2018]

I was intrigued by this film, not least because the late great John Hurt was involved and I believe it was sadly his last film. It was not a disappointment and had a retro- feel, in a good way! Being used to seeing so many slick spy thrillers, it was refreshing to see a film that was not obsessed with perfection. There were some interesting twists and turns and action scenes too. The main lead, Jonathan Rhys Meyers was well chosen and watchable. It is definitely worth a viewing and will be appreciated by those who prefer a vintage style spy thriller!

Meyers' silky performance

[ad_ictro · 1/10 · 22 October 2018]

Nothing wrong with the script, but the performance of John Rhys Meyers was really annoying. He doesn't come across as a tough intelligent agent of the mossad, on the contrary, rather like a silky doll and so also the love scenes were dolled up.

My take on Damascus Cover

[Kozykatz-645-504093 · 9/10 · 27 July 2018]

I read the book 3 years before seeing Damascus Cover. The film really does the book justice. The story is compelling as an old fashioned spy story without car bombs , gadgets and bombs going off. Damascus Cover reveals raw feelings of a broken man/operative Ari Ben-Sion masquerading as a German rug salesman Hans Hoffman. Reeling from his son's death and the death of an operative coworker he tried to save, he is used in another operation that isn't what it seems. He becomes bait. We have a harrowing ride through Damascus and the surprise twist ending . I want to see this film again and highly raconmend it.

Not great but certainly watchable

[jandcmcq · 7/10 · 29 September 2021]

I guess making a film from a novel or book can never quite manage the intricate nuances of a story that in the written page interweaves chapter to chapter. This in my opinion was the main flaw in the film where many very good actors never had a chance to develop their roles and show their true characters as the screenplay jumped from scene to scene in a rather staccato fashion.

However I WAS impressed by the performance of Jonathon Rhys Meyers who held the film together with a confident and professional job in the leading role. I must say, unlike Toni Colette and Liam Neeson I have not seen a lot of Jonathon but as far as acting goes he is certainly on a par with the former two and could easily handle some other more challenging leading roles.

Not a great film but certainly a watchable one and if you want to follow the hard to follow plot read the book and just sit back and enjoy the screen action and very good performances from just about the whole cast. Seven out of ten from me.

One of the dumbest spy movies in a while

[w-bogdan · 3/10 · 1 August 2018]

It could have been so good, but trying to make twists in the plot made it extremely dumb.

Rather long commercial for overpriced watches

[Madhu-Van-Paare · 1/10 · 12 October 2018]

Hate to write a bad review as people work so hard on movies. And I am sure it's hard to write a book as well, on which this is based. But it is really below mediocre, and the current 4.3 rating is due to some people give this movie a 10 out of 10...!? Anyway for me it is rather long as a commercial for overpriced watches. Other than that, quite descent actors, except for Mr Meyers, whom besides of being completely miscast (he plays a German/Jewish Mosad agent), is revealing his lack of acting chops in this movie. The only reason to watch this, is it being Mr John Hurt's last performance. No idea what he was thinking in accepting this role, he deserved better. In fact he is also miscast, as he plays the head of the Mossad. So how is John Hurt Jewish? Incredible. As is the whole movie, but then again it's not really a movie, but just a long drawn out commercial for overpriced watches.

This was definitely better then expected but not anything to ride home about.

[Brooklynsmagicmike · 7/10 · 16 June 2020]

Saw this movie on sale for 1$ and said why not give it try. Wasn't a bad flick by any means at all, although it could've been better.

The premise and pacing were good. The actors also did decent job as well. My issues with the movie were that for spy movie it could used a little more action as well more spy oriented things. I felt more like this movie was like romance/drama then anything else. I also hated the ending while it did have twist no one saw coming I felt it just confused things and after its explained movie just ends abruptly.

With all that said it is low budget b movie so I did keep that in mind throughout. I would recommend it to people who want to watch quick flick and dont have high expectations.

Let's Play Doubles

[lavatch · 5/10 · 6 September 2018]

"Damascus Cover" opens in Germany at the precise moment of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November, 1989. But the action then shifts to Damascus, which is called in the film "the oldest inhabited city in the world." It is in Damascus that a dangerous game of espionage ensues with double crossing continuing to the very end of the film.

The term "double" is an apt way to describe the entire film. The protagonist has two names, Ari Ben-Sion and Hans Hoffman. The latter is his cover as an agent for the Mossad. In his dangerous mission, Ari is tasked with extirpation of Israeli insiders in Damascus whose lives the Mossad wants to save.

The film included a mustache-twirling villain named Suleiman Sarraj, who is head of the Mukhabarat intelligence agency in Syria. There is a romantic story that unfolds between Ari and Kim, a photo-journalist from California. But the name "Kim" should alert viewers to one of the most notorious names in the history of espionage: Kim Philby. Like so many of the characters in this film, this Kim is also playing a dangerous game of doubles.

In the final stretch of the film, the double crossing and multiple layers of the film became so convoluted that it was difficult to follow the action. SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS: It was maddening and perplexing to never have an explanation of the senseless killing of the character "Salma" by the character who went by the name of Sabri Al-Alazar. Once again, Al-Alazar, who was supposed to be the "Angel" turned out to be another phony. So, why did he feel compelled to shoot Salma?

Overall, this well-performed film was hamstrung by under-developed characters and unexplained plot strands. It never conveyed a substantial political or historical message about the perpetual strife in the Middle East. And, above all, it left the viewer puzzled and disappointed in characters who either drop out of the film or drop dead without satisfactory explanations.

Very difficult to rate, but err on side of more positives than negatives for me

[rayytseng · 7/10 · 26 December 2020]

As spy stories go this wasn't the best and there are some loose ends, but ultimately it wasn't a bad story.

This the cheesy spy movie

[hoomanfarahpour · 2/10 · 27 July 2018]

Bad screen writing bad acting bad movie over all. Yes there are worst movie then this but For some reason I thought it would be a good movie . I'm. It sure but I think the director and producer are Jewish just my guess. It was poorly represented from the people to the cultures and characters. Horrible screen writing. What is wrong with the main character why is playing every movie the same . Basically it was the 2 hours waist of time. Good I didn't pay for it otherwise it would be another regret. You

Low Ratings, Why?

[dncorp · 7/10 · 9 September 2018]

Most without knowledge of the Historical Events of 1989 to 1990s will Rate this very low, expecting some kind of James Bond Movie with the Good Guy Winning and getting the girl, lots of explosions, car chases, gadgets.

The U.S.S.R. was collapsing, had just lost Afghanistan, due to CIA Operation Cyclone.

The U.S.S.R. had screwed up with the 1979 U.S.S.R. backed Overthrow of U.S. Ally Shah of Iran, and terrified when the U.S.S.R.'s "Puppet" Ayatollah Khomeini went "Off Script" as Fanatical Muslim of what the U.S.S.R. Planned.

1989 Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini had just lost the Iran Iraq Wars, the U.S. Ally Iraq was chasing Iran's Ally the Millions of Kurdistanis Traitors that fought against U.S. Ally Iraq into Southern Turkey, Eastern Syria from Northern Iraq, destabilizing the Entire Region especially where this Movie takes place, Syria.

Syria was a U.S.S.R. Ally,. with the U.S.S.R. Collapse there were severe Economic consequences, Syrian President Assad was making deals with the U.S. to become a U.S. Ally and did 1990 just before the 1990 to 1991 First Gulf War., as the U.S. took the wrong side against longtime U.S. Ally Iraq, because U.S. Ally Kuwait was stealing U.S. Ally Iraqis Oil with "Diagonal Drilling" aka "Slant Drilling" into the U.S. Ally Iraqis Southern Oil Fields, to stop this U.S. Ally Iraq Invaded U.S. Ally Kuwait, U.S. then sided with U.S. Ally Kuwait.

No more lies

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 28 October 2018]

The film takes place sometime about the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It centers on Mossad spy who uses the cover name, Hans Hoffman (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). After the capture of an Israeli spy, they suspect the cover of their top operative "The Angel" may be compromised. Hans' job is to get him out posing as a German dealer in rugs. Along the way, he meets Kim (Olivia Thirlby) a reporter for the USA Today.

As it turns out, Hoffman wasn't told everything as there are twists along the way.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was boring as hell. His scenes and monotone put me to sleep. Not the best spy film out there. Light on action. Drama wasn't that engaging either.

Guide: F-word. Implied sex. No nudity.

Very entertaining Middle East spy movie

[npvarley · 8/10 · 2 August 2018]

Seeing 4.5 IMDB rating, I didn't have much hope for this movie when I sat down to watch it. But i should have known better than to trust IMDB ratings. That's not a knock on the website, but more on the crazy ratings some people give movies on here.

This is a well-made, well-shot, well-acted movie. It isn;t the most original plot ever, but then that is true of most movies and doesn;t automatically make it bad. Indeed, the twist at the end was unexpected, and I'm usually pretty good at working such plot twists out.

JRM does a good job in the lead role and the rest of the supporting cast are also very good. Any movie that features Igal Naor is a winner, too. He is such a good, engaging character actor and really should get more work in bigger movies.

So, this is a well-made movie and we should all be supporting indie movie makers these days, with the big studios squashing the little guys. This movie is well worth watching.

Average but believable spy story

[dierregi · 6/10 · 28 April 2020]

Rhys Meyers is Ari, a reluctant Israeli spy who would much prefer to be living in Germany and be the person he pretends to be, a "normal" German citizen, without a double life.

Unfortunately, Ari must go back to his homeland and embark into a dangerous undercover mission in Syria to "extract" a precious asset: an agent who goes under the name of "the Angel" and whose real identity is a mystery.

In the course of his mission, Ari is befriended by an American photographer and as it always happens in these case, you can bet the "innocent" woman is involved at some level in the spying game.

I appreciated Rhys Meyers detached delivery, since I think it would be preferable for a spy not to get too emotionally involved. One scene at the end didn't make any sense, but the revelation of "the Angel" true identity was a good plot twist. Adequately thrilling, if a bit formulaic.

The worst depiction of Damascus I have ever seen

[Finlitte · 1/10 · 24 August 2018]

Seriously!!!! Couldn't they have bothered themselves with 5 minutes of research on google? Being from Damascus, I could not be help being pissed.

Whatever happened to foreign languages?

[kentsaurus · 1/10 · 16 October 2018]

This is an amateurish movie. We have Israelis speaking English to Israelis, Syrians speaking English to Syrians, Germans speaking English to Germans. Is this what the Middle East is like? If they all speak the same language, why can't they get on better. This probably doesn't matter as much as it would if the dialogue was worth listening. But haven't film-makers progressed a little since, for example, Olivier played the Mahdi in Khartoum? Poor Jonathan Rhys Meyers! He plays the most incompetent agent I can recall. Doesn't he notice the minutes passing as he is talking to his German host's maid in his kitchen? And anyway would a German ask to go to the bathroom so soon after arriving? The relationship between our German/Israeli spy and the Arab/American USA Today reporter never takes off. JRM puts more passion into kissing the maid than into courting Olivia Thirlby.