Blind Flight Movie Review:


This film combines two accounts of hostages held in Beirut in the late 1980s (Brian Keenan's An Evil Cradling, and John McCarthy's Some Other Rainbow) into a startlingly moving and memorable film. These men were held for more than five years by terrorists--and for four and a half years they shared a cell. But they are unlikely friends: Keenan (Hart) is a spiky Irish professor with a chip on his shoulder, while McCarthy (Roache) is an English journalist from a privileged background. Through their captivity, they develop a surprisingly deep and lasting bond, relying on each other in a terrifying situation for, quite literally, everything.

The film itself was more than 10 years in the making, as production companies were nervous about such a deeply unsettling subject. But the tenaciousness of Keenan, McCarthy and Furse shows in the film's singular, focussed vision. Not only is it based on firsthand accounts, but Keenan and McCarthy were involved at every stage, making sure it was as accurate as possible and working with the actors to portray their story. Interestingly, the narrative is pared down to its essence; the books also document their encounters with other hostages, but the film never brings anyone else in, tightly locking on the central duo. And the result is powerful and haunting.

Hart and Roache are astonishing--raw and exposed, bristling with anger and fear, righteous outrage against their captors and years of religious and political prejudice against each other. They show all of this on screen with very little dialog at all. And when they do speak it's even more revelatory, cutting through surfaces and never taking a cinematic way out of a difficult situation. This is sensitive and remarkably astute filmmaking, expertly directed on a simple scale and written with insight and humour that really helps the themes sink in. It's also worth noting how the script refuses to vilify the kidnappers; these terrorists are complex young men who are sometimes kind and funny, sometimes brutal and horrific. And usually just as confused as their prisoners. This is both an valuable movie about the world's political situation and a vital cinematic document. But more importantly, it's a deeply moving and unforgettable story about an unlikely and indelible bond between two men.

Rich Cline

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