The Arabs are fighting the colonial French in 1925 Damascus. As more French soldiers get killed, Gen. LaSalle (Everett Sloane) wants to be more brutal. Col. Feroud (Lee J. Cobb) disagrees and seeks to meet with rebel leader Emir Hassan. Harry Smith (Humphrey Bogart) is a black market operator. Violetta (Märta Torén) is with Feroud.
It's another cynical Boogie in the murky Middle East movie. Sure, they're trying to return to Casablanca. It would be nice if they do a better job at it. The comparison is not kind to this movie. I do like the historical background but it's not enough. Hollywood is not doing docu-realism yet. It is as real as they are willing to go. It's a murky world with a murky Boogie.
It's another cynical Boogie in the murky Middle East movie. Sure, they're trying to return to Casablanca. It would be nice if they do a better job at it. The comparison is not kind to this movie. I do like the historical background but it's not enough. Hollywood is not doing docu-realism yet. It is as real as they are willing to go. It's a murky world with a murky Boogie.