Rupert Wyatt’s Long-Gestating Middle Eastern Western

It is a tale nearly as old as time – but Enough about the creation differences that have conspirated to kep this environmental Eastern away from Screens Sine Into Production Four Years Ago. Looking at it now, and knowing what we knows about the shooting conditions, it’s a miracle Desert Warrior exists at all, never mind some of the extraordinary images captured by director Rupert wyatt and his cinematographer Guillermo gauza. In fact, it is not immediately clear that it was ever a trough production at all, but what starts with a very lean and entertaining b-Movie gradually becomes of a slog; after setting up a Very Simple, Almost Sergio Leone-Esque Scenario-A Antony Mackie and A Bounty Hunter (Charlto Copley)-Wyatt’s movie Somehow A Stodgy, Sprawling, Feminist, Pre-Islamic Ghandi.

One Can Only Speculate, but it does feel that this two-hour cut is something something compromise, and, if it is, it is that perfectly expresses what happens when many People confess to the table. There are the times when you can see Seexpectted Flashes of Inspiration, and there are Echoes of John Ford’s Monument in the Location Work. There’s Eve a Little Kurosawa-from all the stages of his career-in the feudal set-up; while the Decadent Emperor Kisra (Ben Kingsley) Holds Court, His Enemies are banished. This Wold SEEM to be the movie wyatt set out to make, and it wold have been a good ‘un.

And, for a time, it work. Mackie’s bandit is this film of the man with no name, and we find Him out in the desert with his camel when the story starts and a mysterious man enters the frame. “Tell me who are,” Sayys the bandit. “In Time,” Says the Stranger, who promises Gold and a jewel-ancrusted dagger in exchange for help. It turns out that is the forms king numan (ghassan massoud), who has haen deposed by emperor kisra and has escaped with his daughter, the princess hind (aysha map). If they return, numan will be killed and hind will be strength to become kisra’s concebine, whic is why the emperor the cruel mercenary jalabzeen (Copley) to say Back.

The Bandit Takes the Pair Int Shaybani Territory, where he is treated with suspension, to the extent that is consider a traitor and condemned to die. Hind Helps Him Escape, and This Might be the Exact Point That The Tension Starts to Dishesipate. For one thing, hind finds that numan is gone in the morning, having returned to the city of His Own Volition. Needless to say, that doesn’t endw. Nevertheless, hind decides that she is must follow in his footsteps, enlisting the bandit as a traveling companion. “You Will Ride Faster Alone,” he tells her. “We Will Ride Further Together,” She Says. (Yes, it is kind of script.)

So, here we are, and on her way back, hind somehow becomes possessed of the Kind of Mystical Messianic Qualities that aren’t much seen outside of a Dune Movie as her Quest Gathers Support, Galvanizing the Put-Upon Castes of the Region to Come Together A Traveling Map of the Country Fills the Screen. (Yes, it’s that of Kind of Movie.) Before you know it, Desert Warrior Has Become a War Movie, and Quite a SpectaCular One at that, with Elephants and Wolves (AWFUL CGI ONES, MIND) THAT TO SPRING MORE FROM AL-HANDS ABOUT WHAT A $ 150M BUDGET BE MISNG THAN WHAT WHAT IT MIGHTUALLY NEED.

But to make the movie Desert Warrior Turns into at this point you need Serious Star Power, and while the Arabic Cast is especally Strong, the leads Needs that extra bits of wattage that the movie just dos. This is the usually relied Kingsley can’t bring much more to the party, Clearly just dropping in for a few ‘work to have a comfy,’ tache-twirlingly Evil sit-down in the film. To make things worse, the film two Most Engaging Characters – The Bandit and Jalabzeen – Become so consistently sidelined that it is hard to get too excited and the inevitable showdens, simply becuse we have haven’t enicuz Time to be.

Anyway, it all sorts itelf out, and the film you do with the helpful message that “there are many ways to fight a battle”. There are also also many wayys to sing a desert song, and it is in the movie favor that, but for spreads one single heat-hazy shot, it doesn’ten atempt to compare itself to Lawrence of Arabia. Tellingly, though, David Lean’s Film Still Cost Less than Desert Warrior In Today’s Money, and spreads the lesson learned here is that the difference between a true cinematic masterpiece and a decent this tv pilot directly by Ridley scott isn’t necessarily determined by the amout you are.

Title: Desert Warrior
Festival: Zurich (Gala Premieres)
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Screenwriter: Rupert Wyatt, Erica Beeney, David Self, Gary Ross
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Ayysha Hart, Charlto Copley, Ghassan Massoud, Sami Boujila, Géza Rohrig, Ben Kingsley
Sales: Mbc studios
TIME RUNNING: 1 HR 54 MINS