On January 23, 2002, Mariane Pearl’s (Angelina Jolie) life changed forever when her husband Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) vanished soon after bidding her farewell and letting her know he might be late for dinner. That morning he entered a taxi waiting outside the home of his colleague, Asra Nomani (Archie Panjabi) and he never returned. He was on assignment in Pakistan, working on a story about shoe bomber Richard Reid, following a tip which he expected to lead to a one on one interview with Sheik Mubarak Ali Gilani (Ikram Bhatti), a religious figure rumored to be behind many al-Qaeda operations. However, Pearl, who was a Jewish-American, had apparently been betrayed by his source. He thought he’d be meeting with a man that could break his story wide open but instead ended up in the hands of a man named Bashir (Aly Khan) a member of a secret cell of radical Muslims cell taking orders from 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. When Danny failed to return that evening a five month pregnant Mariane alerted authorities and a massive manhunt ensued that lead to a cooperative effort launched by the Pakistani police, the FBI, and agents of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. They all embarked on a powerful attempt to bring Danny home.
I heard about this story when it first happened and seeing all of it unfold on the big screen and learning the details made it that much more real to me. It is an emotional and powerful film directed by Michael Winterbottom who is best known for his powerful documentaries. Winterbottom effectively conveys a tasteful sense of realism. Jolie’s performance was completely flawless. She expresses Mariane’s desperation, dedication and love for her husband brilliantly. This is a five star film with a remarkable story. It is not available in MoPix and may be hard to follow without it so I suggest bringing along a sighted friend or waiting for the DVD but this is a must see movie for this year.
(Paramount Vantage)
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, and Archie Panjabi
