It may be inevitable that a true story involving serious issues will be hard pressed to be as good a "yarn" as one made just for the action and excitement. This highly worthwhile and fully attention-holding film has suffered from unfair comparison with pure entertainment films. It is well for us to be reminded from time to time, what misery and devastation venal US foreign policy has wreaked in various regions. The present asymmetrical cyber-warfare on our political institutions is largely blow-back. I hate to think that the Trump presidency may at least have prevented a repeat of this film's appalling scenario perpetrated upon Iran. By the way, be sure to notice Belçim Bilgin as the femme fatale--a Turkish actress paradoxically cast as a Kurd. Oh well.

It's 2002. Michael Sullivan (Theo James) is hired for a job in the UN's Food for Oil program working under Pasha Pasaris (Ben Kingsley). There are obvious kickbacks, corruption, and deliberate diversion of aid for the Kurds. Michael points it out but Pasha tells him to spin everything for the sake of the people. Pasha's boss Christina Dupre (Jacqueline Bisset) is writing a report to the UN and distrusts him intensely. The CIA wants to recruit Michael. He comes from a family of diplomats and his father died in the Beirut bombing. In Iraq, he falls for translator Nashim Hussani.

This is trying to be Jack Ryan with a real world scandal. While I like the attempt, I would like Michael to be presented as smarter than this. He lacks enough cynical street smarts and sincere boy scout smarts. Sure, he's a reality person making reality mistakes. He needs to speak the truth inside his head even if he does make mistakes. It's fine for him to give in to the nihilism if he tells us with his inner voice. This does not have the tension to be a good fictional thriller. It does not have enough of the truth to be a historical drama. It does have just enough of both to be passable.

To the right people? Have you ever wondered where the money you gave to a charity actually goes? Obviously officially it always will be said that it goes to the cause one gave the money for ... but not just something like the Trump Foundation (though they've been quite blatantly) probably has done other things with the money.

In this case it is about the goverments money or program. Now of course, if you are a tax payer, it sort of is your money too. Just not in a direct way. In this case we get to see what happens behind the scenes, how political theatre has to be played, so people in need get at least some help. Enticing concept and Theo James does a decent job. Though he is outshined by the always present Sir Ben Kingsley ... well I wouldn't blame him for that.

Whatever the case, this is a decent thriller, based on actual facts (that I have not read up on) ... tension is there from beginning to end