Backstabbing for Beginners

Forgettable

Directed by: Per Fly
Written by: Per Fly and Daniel Pyne
Cast: Theo James, Ben Kingsley, Jacqueline Bisset, Belcim Bilgin, Brian Markinson

Backstabbing for Beginners opens in 2002 and focuses on a young intern at the UN. He works for a program labeled as Oil for Food. There is also a twist of why the seat has become vacant. After the intern is appointed, he is asked to review the former assistant’s work and present a summary by the next morning. He does so but not without discovering some major flaws in the funding. It is revealed very early on why the funding is flawed, and from there the film takes its time in showing how the characters handle their everyday life after discovering the flaw.

Backstabbing for Beginners is entertaining to an extant, and the characters give a compelling performance. Ben Kingsley plays Pasha, the Head Diplomat for the UN’s Oil for Food Committee. The story seems to want to put Kingsley at the forefront to be the film’s villain. However, his character seems to be very typical and doesn’t really draw attention like Kingsley normally does.

Then there is Brian Markinson who plays Rasnetsov. Anytime he comes on the screen, every other character in the room seems terrified of him and it plays well. Next, is Theo James as Mike Sullivan. His character is the natural do-gooder who wants to help people.

Theo’s character frequently questions his morals and his character serves as a good juxtaposition to the film’s antagonists. Finally, there is Belcim Bilgin who plays Nashim. Nashim is a character who is presented as a Translator for the Baghdad UN office with unclear motives. Is she out for herself? Is she there to help Pasha or Michael Sullivan?

Overall, this film is entertaining solely because the actors are great with the material given. The main plot devices are shown in the first 12 minutes. This leads to an exciting introduction but a very lackluster story. All the characters true motives are revealed way too early which leads to some of the characters being a bore anytime they come on screen.

A few characters are even killed, some being majorly important diplomats, and the film seems to downplay it to the point that it makes it not shocking for the audience.

What could have been a great cat and mouse thriller becomes a daytime soap opera with a great cast.

Backstabbing for Beginners also has an ending that feels like it’s going to lead to an impactful and energetic face off. But again the film down plays a major incident and ends by showing how all the characters reacted after the event. This almost feels like it would be better suited as a History Channel documentary than a feature length drama.

All in all if you enjoy historical movies, Backstabbing for Beginners tells a new and interesting story. However, as a film the tone leads the audience to be bored and the story focuses on the less exciting plot points.