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Omar Movie Review

Omar is a 2013 Palestinian crime drama film directed by Hany Abu-Assad and starring Adam Bakri in the titular role. It’s a very good crime flick.

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“Omar, there’s a price to pay if you want

to revolt and liberate your country.

You don’t complain or cry.

This is the choice you made“

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A young Palestinian freedom fighter agrees to work as an informant after he’s tricked into an admission of guilt by association in the wake of an Israeli soldier’s killing. There have been many movies about the Israeli-Palestine conflict, but this is one of the better ones as it is grounded in reality and surprisingly emotionally involving, especially in the third act.

It’s a slick, short movie that knows what it wants to do, and it does it really well. It could have been even more sophisticated as it deals with a lot of complexities and issues that are rarely dealt with, but for the most part the film is dynamic and quite thrilling even as it balances its crime plot points so well. I am not the biggest fan of this genre, so me liking this one speaks a lot for its quality and wide appeal.

Omar is perhaps a bit too short as more time could have been devoted to both the characters and its themes. Even more so the romance. I actually found the romance to be one of the best parts of this film, which was surprising as usually romantic subplots are secondary in these films, and it is still secondary here, but still depicted with a lot of care and genuine heart.

I loved the character of Nadia and Omar himself is a complex, very well developed central figure. The two share such a wonderful relationship and it’s easy to root for them to find happiness in spite of all odds stacked against them. Other characters are only serviceable, which is fine as the movie is called Omar for a reason.

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Technically speaking, it’s well shot, very well acted and quite deftly directed by Hany Abu-Assad, but the overall look of the movie is just passable with the particularly cinematic elements lacking. Still, the dialogue is mostly excellent and the script is so good that the movie definitely deserved its Oscar nomination.

Omar is a very strong Palestinian thriller that benefits from an excellent script, great dialogue and even a solid romantic subplot. It’s a short, but slick movie that deals with a complicated issue through many memorable plot points and a lot of care and emotional involvement put into it.

My Rating – 4