I stopped into another theater within the multiplex, to view the film regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Pearl.
The film does not get carried away with it's Superstar in Angelina Jolie. Quite the contrary, she brings a quality of performance that portrayed Mariane Pearl in a pivotal role in persuing the outcome of Danny in his career. I found myself grateful for the talent of Jolie in providing character portrayal of Mariane at a time when she was involved in her own pregnancy. It spoke huge accolades to both these women.
The film is not in anyway a venture into entertainment. It departs from the 'stardom' of the performers and brings the reality of Pakistan while persuing criminals to the forefront of that reality. It is impressive. The film spent a great deal of time including the dogmatic methodology of the Pakistani authorities in attempting to save Danny from death at the hand of extremists.
I often wondered how any authority acts among the chaos of poverty to the extreme it exists in Pakistan's cities, especially Karachi. American police and intelligence could take a good lesson in the agility the authorities within that chaos thrive. While Pearl was dismembered ultimately, the unveiling of the terrorist network was impressive. The Pakistani authorities literally stare down a blind alley and find order in that lack of direction which it's society exists if not thrives as well. I was somewhat impressed by the local authorities, but, not nearly impressed with 'mid-level' authorities that turned the investigation into a political positioning against India and the USA.
Daniel Pearl was in no way a CIA agent, yet his capacity to penetrate 'the truth' was preceived as same by those that sought to silence Danny's voice. The kidnappers were simply brutal killers interested in a 'prize.' Killing an American, a Jewish American, was the goal. The only way Danny was going to be saved was to literally locate him and kill those that were using him as an icon of power. The kidnappers had no compassion for a pregnant spouse. They were going to hold him as a prize and milk the politics of terror for what it was worth and simply kill him when finished with their 'gaming.'
I question the importance of persuing that level of truth except from afar. Daniel Pearl was a far too high price to pay for 'insider information.' There is no reverence for life by the people involved with his death. They find their purpose in killing, just to kill while calling on a false sense of Allah, Mohammad and the Koran. There is no more mystery here. Danny achieved his goal in revealing those that were involved with terrorist networks. He proved, minimally in this film, his life was vital to the understanding of the pervasiveness of influence of terrroists in impoverished populous. If there is one truth about the film, it is that Danny was more alive in the message he intended from the beginning than ever before.
Jolie's performance was magnificent. Her minimalist appearance added more to the support of the focus of a film than ever before in any of her pervious films. The cast was appreciated for their delivery of Danny's message. They were all appreciated in the portrayals of plight of journalists and their dedication to the human condition and the 'ideals' of peace and human rights. It truly is an incredible film with an expansive message. If you are looking for the 'thrill' of an action adventure film, you won't find it. What you will find is high quality filmmaking delivering a message of a man now dead over five years out from the incident that caused his death. It should not be understood that his message is best served in death either. We would be far better served by having his living expertise within the context of journalism. The loss of him is profound and it should be treated as such.
