The Angel (2018) User Reviews

Good movie, poor details, inaccurate events

[hesham-abboud · 6/10 · 29 December 2018]

I have always been fascinated about the 1973 war. Here in Egypt it's considered one of the greatest war and a huge victory. I read a lot about this period in Egyptian history, especially the books wrote by President Sadat himself and the army generals at that time. Also my dad was an army officer so I was able to ask and know a very specific and detailed info.

But this is the first time to watch and see the story being told by the other side. Considering that the director and the majority of the cast are from Israel, I expected nothing less than what I saw.

The movie as a movie despite the true events is good. From acting, to story line, to script to makeup, they're fairly good. The locations and decorations however were absolutely stupid, and I mean those in Egypt and in Libya. Those decorations were done over 300 years ago and a small research on the internet could reveal how they actually look like.

As for the events, which is the big question here, are they really true or not? It's yes and no. The main flow of the events was accurate, I mean yes Nasser blocked naval trade in front of Israel in 67, Israel responded and we. Egypt, lost our air force in 6 hours and lost the whole war on all sides after 6 days. Yes Sadat wanted diplomatic approaches. Yes we went to war in 1973.

But what's not accurate, for example, the way the movie portrayed president Sadat. Also that scene when 3 of his officials resigned and called them traitors that was absolutely nonsense. They, among another ministers, were arrested and imprisoned for a whole different reason. The idea of applying the Shepard guy story was totally not Ashraf Marwan's idea. If there's anything true about Sadat in this movie it was the line when he said "He's completely unpredictable".

The last speech by Sadat is originally in Arabic, presenting it in English was complete foolishness. The speech lasted about 15 minutes and worth to be watched alone.

One last thing, I understand why the director used a cast mainly from Israel, but the accent they spoke was very stupid. Also Libya's flag was wrong, don't know how they missed it along side the Egyptian flag.

Must watch Spy movie

[maneshkumar-47986 · 8/10 · 21 April 2020]

Ashraf Marwan, the Egyptian Spy managed to save Israel, in the runup to the Yom Kippur war & was able to save hundreds of lives. The history that was recreated on silver screen. Good work 👍

Old-fashioned melodramatic spy thriller about (1973) Israel-Egypt war

[akcenat · 7/10 · 16 September 2018]

The Angel movie, is the Israeli side of the story that follows Ashraf Marwan (son-in-law of late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser) as an Egyptian arms dealer/diplomat/spy who also worked for Mossad before/during the Yom Kippur war in 1973. Still, to this day, it is not confirmed what he did or didn't do is true. Film, nevertheless, have good-looking production which offers a stylish but a slow-paced spy story that gains momentum just before movie climax. The performances of the cast are OK. As a result, this is not a bad film, but it's little bit flat and too long for my taste. 6+/10.

Good, but not detailed !!

[madhukar30 · 6/10 · 24 August 2020]

The Angel gives an semi biographical account on the life of Ashraf Marwan, the son in law of the stalwart Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. The majority of events in the movie focuses on the events relating to the 1973 Yom Kippur war and how the Israeli intelligence, Mossad received the information and "Handled" it. The accuracy and veracity of certain parts in the movie remains doubtful to an ardent military history reader like me.

On the technical front most of the work resembled a high quality Hollywood B list movie. However the with the limitations on the budget "The Angel"'s director has pulled a miracle in my opinion. Cinematography is good and error free in general. Acting is good to moderate for a B list movie, as viewers only look for the gripping story and not expect top notch performances. Screenplay is well adapted from a book and has some chilling moments within. Make up and costumes were a little below par.

Overall The Angel is exciting one time watch for audiences who have either lived through or heard about the era of Arab-Israeli wars and tension. For others it's a normal movie with a little bit of action, suspense and a "Cool" history lesson.

Forced English usage reduced its authenticity

[atultaneja · 7/10 · 22 September 2018]

The plot was good, not sure how much of it was in line with the actual story. Actors did justice to their role. However the screenplay could've been a lot better. In a nutshell, it didn't go all nine yards but it's definitely a good one time watch

Could have been much better

[raz-shuki · 6/10 · 20 September 2018]

While the story of Ashraf Marwan is undoubtedly a fascinating one and deserves to have a movie made about it, I feel that this one misses the mark by quite a bit. I'm not referring to the trivial anachronisms and goofs (like the wrong Arabic accents, or KC and the Sunshine Band song played before its time) which have already been pointed out in other reviews, but to much more substantial historical inaccuracies and omissions. Main examples: 1) I could find no record of the botched attempt on the El Al plane in Rome which opens the movie, much less that Marwan personally smuggled the (sabotaged) weapons for it or was nearby when the Italian police closed in... seems like an incredibly risky thing to do for an Egyptian presidential aide 2) The movie's ending presents 2 false alarms of an imminent Egyptian invasion as a premeditated plan thought up to lull Israel into complacency. In fact there was only 1 false alarm (in May 1973) and Sadat postponed it due to a Syrian request, not because of some masterful plan of deception. 3) If Marwan really thought a no-win outcome for a war would be the best guarantee for peace, how was he so sure that warning Israel ahead of time would achieve that? Maybe his betrayal of information would be the one to tip the balance and ensure an Israeli victory, preventing the exact outcome he wanted to achieve. Which brings us to the main one: 4) No real explanation or hint on why Marwan would spy for the Israelis. Seems it was done for money. To say it was all part of grand master plan to level the playing field and bring peace to the Middle Easy seems a bit hard to believe. Other than that: it was suspenseful, the 70s atmosphere was largely credible, so overall it was not a waste of time to me.

Confusing but you'll be rewarded if you watch till the end

[phd_travel · 7/10 · 25 September 2018]

This true story is stranger than fiction and confusing along the way. You have to pay attention or you will lose track of who is spying on who. But if you watch till the end things will be explained and you will realise you watched a really good true story about the goings on surrounding the Yom Kippur War. Just wish they explained things earlier. Spent too much time wondering what was going on.

Excellent Espionage Nail-Biter

[LeonardKniffel · 9/10 · 7 November 2020]

Why do some IMDB reviewers insist that "historical inaccuracies" can sink a movie? This is an excellent espionage spy thriller based on historical events in Egypt and Israel in 1973. The plot is nuances and complicated and fictionalized but these challenges make viewers watch carefully as events unfolds. A serious look at how one man can become a hero to two nations endlessly at each other's throats.

A good story with lack in professionality

[Welllooo · 7/10 · 16 December 2018]

As an Arabian , i had a very tough time trying to understand what the characters were saying "while they were speaking in Arabic" . the Arabian cast should have been from Egypt or at least have the ability to deal with the Egyptian accent in order to to convince the Arabian audience . nonetheless it was a well told story story regarding it's truthiness . the good financial and average directing were also apparent to everyone . can't say it is the best of all , but also you can't regret watching it .

So many plot holes

[Claudia-Jean · 5/10 · 26 September 2018]

Subject: 10/10; Film execution: 3/10

Ashraf Marwan is so-called the greatest asset for Israel as a spy in the 20th century. The film, however, failed to address the two central questions and thereby did not get viewers engaged emotionally.

The questions are (1) who Ashraf Marwan was (i.e. what brought him up to such a high ranking position even after his father-in-law President Nasser passed away); and (2) what his motivation as a spy was (i.e. why his patriot drive forces were not fulfilled within the Egyptian Presidential Office.) The biggest problem for me is the true reason why Marwan leaked critical information about war prep from his country to the enemy. The film seemingly described him like a peacemaker, but the leak served for only Israel's interests and caused damages on Egypt's side, from my viewpoint.

In order to fully illustrate the true story of Marwan, the film should've more deeply told about prolonged political tensions and dynamics between the Arab League and Israel, and more importantly described how Marwan made moves under the situation. Without explaining political efforts made by both sides, Marwan in this film looks merely like a betrayal idiot desperately in need of money.

Rather, the producers allocated more time to focus on soap opera-ish family matters and personal relationship between Marwan and his handler from the Israel Mossad. Such unstructured screenwriting and directing are everywhere in this film and derailed me from the main theme. So while watching I was frequently forced to google the Yom Kippur War in the 1970s as well as key players. And then I learned that the film ruined the original novel written by a political science professor. Although I only skimmed the novel, it is very informative yet intriguing and easy to understand in a politically neutral way.

This film could've been better if directed by someone else and made as a TV mini series, not a 2-hour film. Poor acting - which some other reviewers have already pointed out - is not mainly due to lack of acting skills or low budget, but inevitable due to shallow cheesy screenwriting with multiple plot holes. Still it may be worthwhile for those who are interested in but not so familiar with the history of the Middle East. At least for me it became a good start to further research for myself.

WATCH TO THE END!

[islameltiar · 8/10 · 15 September 2018]

The Arabic language was not right and was not Egyptian one, so we could use Egyptian actors or just keep it all in English, for the actors, I think they are really nice and good. for the story, It was amazing, I'm an Egyptian young man and I didn't read about Ashraf Marwan, and I was shocked by how intelligent he was and the final part was like O.O so I think it's a very good movie for you If you are interested about this part of history for this part of Earth, the middle east

More Middle Eastern Espionage Movies Please

[HadiAriyan07 · 7/10 · 8 September 2020]

It's a very well made film. From a directing and technical standpoint, it really impressed me. It's a story that needed to be told but I'm not sure if this movie was the best way to tell it. This one was well done so I have to give it kudos, it's a film that I was all that interested in because I'm from Iraq and I love politics. The ending was very strong so it left me on a high note. But thinking back; I don't think the first two acts had me in its grip like it through it did. The film felt very sure of itself, which is great in some circumstances. The performances were strong and very realistic and respectable to all sides.

Total let down

[akchfmay · 4/10 · 15 September 2018]

Just watched "The Angel" on Netflix... all I can say is; what a monumental waste 😞

The movie overall is mediocre, I'd give it 3.5 out of 10 .. riddled with mistakes!

• Almost nobody (except for a guy in one scene next to Sami Sharaf) knows how to speak Egyptian Arabic.
• Actually the entire script is so obviously written in another language and translated completely out of context, words that are seldom used in the spoken Egyptian dialect were everywhere in this movie
• The guy playing Nasser, other than the grey hairs at the temple, practically no resemblance
• Sadat's makup could've been better, for crying out loud at least make him darker, plug a pipe in his hand in all scenes, stick on his iconic thick glasses and just listen to him talk once in any of his speeches! He had a unique way of talking! Study the character
• Score: some of the soundtrack, especially when Marwan panics is not even remotely Egyptian but more Arab (possibly Morrocan?)
• Embarrassing mistakes such as the Egyptian modern flag with the eagle instead of the hawk, come on guys my 7 year old kid won't make that mistake. Also bearded Egyptian security forces?! That's a BIG no no in the army and the police, I think you have Egypt mixed with India there.
• Incorrect news broadcasts, incorrect references to Israel in Arab media (ALWAYS referred to as the "Zionist entity" and never as Israel)
• Some outlandish scenes like Ashraf daring to disagree with Nasser in front of foreign dignitaries.. Nasser never tolerated the slightest disagreements - it's a known fact that he used to always stay quiet in meetings until everyone speaks their mind - which used to rattle them because he wouldn't give any clues as to what his decision is - then when he gives his command nobody dares utter a word.
• Weird character names, "Babak" the Egyptian high ranking official?seriously?
• Also the Amazonian guards for Colonel Gaddafi were formed in the 1980's not the early 1970's!
• The fact that throughout the movie in Cairo, London and Rome he had no protection whatsoever baffles me - even after hooded thugs attack his wife and only son in his villa in Cairo .. I may not know Marwan but I understand positions of power in Egypt, someone that close and with direct access to the president would not be unguarded.
• I honestly found it irritating that Sadat addressed Saad El Din El Shazly (also no resemblance and looked far older than his real counterpart) as "Lewa" (General) not as "Fareek" Colonel General, FYI the guy was Chief of Staff of the entire Egyptian armed forces in '73!

However there are a few good things in the movie to watch:

• Clothes, cars, outside scenes in 1970's London and Rome all good
• The actor Marwan Kenzari did a decent job, particularly in revealing the true motives of the character towards the end of the movie.
• Also the head of Mossad did a good job but his character wasn't defined as well as any of the Egyptian characters.
• The symbolism of Aesop's fable "The boy who cried wolf" was particularly great, I enjoyed that

Overall, honestly could've been better so easily just by checking Google! A wonderful story wasted.

Good story

[thefirstm · 6/10 · 10 October 2020]

Good story to watch and see some evidence on that time.

later than never!

[tarek47 · 6/10 · 15 September 2018]

This is the first movie about it's topic and this character (Asharf Marwan), i hoped it'll be a good movie, but with high expectations comes high failures.

Music goofs...

[zaptoons · 7/10 · 19 September 2018]

Enjoyable film but I was thrown by several easily avoidable music goofs that jolted me into thinking I'd missed a major timelapse. In 1970 suddenly "Long Cool Woman" is playing... a song released in late 1971. This was confusing enough but then suddenly we've skipped 5 years into the future and KC and the Sunshine Band is playing and it's a full disco scene.

Come on. Taking things way out of time like that destroys the credibility of the rest of the film. How much else is so poorly researched? A split instant of Googling could have corrected simple music goofs...

Enjoyed otherwise.

A movie about Egypt without any egyptian

[mga-65088 · 22 July 2021]

A very one sided movie made by Israelis to spread lies about beloved egyptian personalities.

An intelligent and interesting thriller, but not for those with short attention spans

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 18 September 2018]

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

The true story of Ashraf Marwan (Marwan Kenzari), the son in law of President Nasser (Waleed Zuaiter), who feels unappreciated and put down by the father of his wife Mona (Maisa Abd Elhadi.) Feeling spurned, he drops some intelligence to the Israeli secret service, and finds himself propelled between two worlds. Following the death of Nasser, Marwan becomes an aide to the new president Anwar Sadat (Sassoon Gabai), as speculation mounts that Egypt is planning an attack on Israel.

Following on from 2012's The Iceman, director Ariel Vromen continues his rather morbid interest into dramatizing the lives of real life people who died in suspicious circumstances, in this depiction of the life of a man who came to broker peace between Cairo and Israel, making him a slightly less notorious individual than the character portrayed by Michael Shannon in the aforementioned 2012 film. Featuring a cast of unknowns, he has at least been able to replicate what could be perceived as real life people in that time and place, and crafted a film that will hold your attention if you can pay attention and keep up, rather than needing instant gratification.

The time period the film is set in is quite relevant to the story, and so it's something of a glitch on Vromen's part that the early 1970's backdrop it's set against is riddled with anachronisms and social behaviour not relevant to the time, some of which have been noted in the goofs section of the film's IMDB homepage. He could also have done with condensing it slightly, stretching as it does at over the two hour mark, as even the most studious viewer will only be able to concentrate for so long before succumbing to overload.

That said, it's still an enthralling and tense film (especially if you don't know how it worked out in real life!), impressively acted by it's unknown stars and shines a light on something of note in the troubled history of the Middle East. ***

Great story, well told...ignore the bad reviews with an agenda!

[pellenbogen · 8/10 · 16 September 2018]

This is really an excellent film with none of the gratuitous violence that is typical of too many espionage thrillers. This is a true, old fashion 1970s spy story during an extraordinary period of history. I was totally unaware of this story before I saw this film. It's well acted and not over produced, and unless your an Arabic speaker it doesn't matter how authentic the idioms are.

Good movie with many Egyptian goofs

[waelraafat-31781 · 6/10 · 6 September 2019]

Nice acting and costume designing but Ashraf Marawan wasn't the creator of the shepherd idea at all it was president Sadaat ... Sami Sharaf prison and Nasser presidential palace decoration are Moroccan not Egyptian ... Some of actors arabic accent was Lebanese not Egyptian ... There's no Egyptian or even Arabic name called Babak ... It's forbidden for Egyptian officers to have beards ... It never happened to broadcast an Egyptian football match via English TV in early 70's ... Also how come that Sami Sharaf is been called to meet president Nasser after his death!!!

Confusing history, confusing movie!

[peter-376-761113 · 5/10 · 30 September 2018]

Passable spy thriller ... but the conclusions drawn by the film are highly questionable, as any reading of the real-life events indicate. Who the protagonist was actually spying for, & what his motives were ... who knows? It's a bit annoying when a film purporting to be based on real life makes a huge leap into unsubstantiated speculation like this.

Based on true story buy who knows the truth?

[mhs-99042 · 8/10 · 23 September 2018]

Some reviewers question did this really happen. Well on April 4, 1973 "Two Arabs made an unsuccessful attempt to attack passengers of an El Al plane at the Rome airport. They were arrested but later released and sent to Lebanon." This quote is from the New York Times article "Few Arab Terrorists Are Punished for Hijackings and Killings" published on Dec 20, 1973. There is also a Time article that reviews what is documented in history and what is the movie makers creative license.

I enjoyed the movie. Watch it with some popcorn.

Movie for arabians only!

[ahmedsamirmoustafa · 6/10 · 15 September 2018]

The movie is not directed for all the world i think, because the conflict between Arab & Israil is not clear enough. Although i'm Egyptian i faced a problem in uderstanding the arabic slang of Samy Sharaf, and the Egyptian Officer.

A ton of inaccuracies in a supposedly historical movie

[asea1009-150-952033 · 1/10 · 20 September 2018]

The totally butchered spoken Egyptian in the movie, lack of resemblance with facts in issues such as uniforms, music, incidents, the nonsensical bearded Egyptian military which perhaps existed last in the 19th century (as if they didn't know), etc...let alone how history is being spinned to serve as a propaganda tool in various capacities, in addition to bad performance and lack of depth in most characters, all that deducts much from the joy of watching/appreciating a movie. Then some reviewers, who give the high scores, are accusing those who are critical of being anti-semitic and haters. So, because this is an -Israeli- movie, we should pretend it's accurate while it is far from that?! How is it a point of view that only comes from haters when even Egyptians can't understand the supposedly Egyptian spoken in the movie, or when referring to any of the numerous inaccuracies filling this production? Well, I'm not ani-semit, sorry about that. So, instead of accusations please do give an answer with regards to the inaccuracies, the fact they didn't use Egyptian actors while hollywood has quite a few on various levels, like Rami Malek, Mido Hamada, etc?... Or arab actors who can mimic Egyptian pretty well, like Fares Fares? In short it is not an enjoyable movie if you happen to know what it's about, or it's historic or cultural backgrounds, because then the numerous inaccuracies would just keep hitting you in the face. You may find it watchable otherwise, but then you'd be allowing yourself to learn these inaccuracies as facts from a "true" story, in other words some people call that brain-wash.

Not that bad

[yoyo_sweed · 6/10 · 24 October 2018]

Very poor egyptian accent especially "Sadat" , the scenario was from an israeli point of view however , it wasn't that bad ! But at the end they didn't admit the victory of the egyptian army which was so ridiculous .