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via Bleecker Street
Any movie that deals with either real-world or hot-button political issues – whether it be past, present, or a potential future – always runs the risk of generating controversy. 2018’s Beirut was no exception, even if it proved to be a complex and tightly-wound tale of subterfuge that failed to find the size of audience it deserved.
Every bit as accomplished as you’d expect from a screenplay penned by Andor‘s Tony Gilroy and directed by The Machinist‘s Brad Anderson, Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike head up the cast in the 1980s-set story, which finds the former’s ex-diplomat called back into action to rescue a colleague from the group who may be responsible for his family’s death.
Meanwhile, Pike’s undercover CIA agent finds her loyalties torn after being tasked with keeping Hamm’s character alive at any cost, while also ensuring the mission succeeds. Beirut may have secured a strong 82 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, but even releasing it under two titles couldn’t save it from box office disaster.
Known as The Negotiator in the United Kingdom, a global box office haul of $7.5 million was a huge disappointment, especially when the end product was of a stellar quality. Matters may not have been helped by the trailer coming under heavy fire for perpetrating a “white savior” narrative, with the backlash extending everywhere from social media to newspaper columns.
Nonetheless, Beirut has cast the backlash to one side in order to size up its new target on streaming, with FlixPatrol naming the overlooked espionage adventure as one of the biggest hits on the OSN platform this weekend.