Movie Beirut

                              The first part of movie starts in 1972 Beirut, Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) a U.S. diplomat, hosting a cocktail party along with his wife Nadia (Leila Bekhti) oblivious of the impending disaster in their lives . They have no children of their own, as yet, but treat 13-year-old orphan refugee Karim as “part of the family.” Karim projected himself as a Palestinian refugee with no family, the story starts and revolves around Karim and Mason, as the movie progresses it unfolds mystery about Karim. This period denotes the tinder box situation of 70's , when Lebanon was standing at the anvil of civil war, while Israel fresh from its victories was itching to go after PLO in Lebanon.

                            The second part of movie, starts a decade later in war ravaged Lebanon of 1980's. As CIA lost one of its spies, Mason was brought back from self imposed retirement and is entrusted the job of rescuing him. The story moves slowly, as this isn't  an adrenaline-pumping spy movie. It captivates audience with interesting story line laced with numerous twists. Beirut is an espionage thriller, which competently narrates a story without being biased or demonizing any faction. Jon Hamm is exceptionally comfortable in his role, at times one forgets that he is acting. Rosamund Pike too did justice to her role and has raised the bar through her acting skill. It's a treat to watch Beirut, although it reminds us of the miserable condition in that part of world where peace and prosperity remains elusive to this day.