following hot on the heels of yesterdays e-team film
another drama/documentary based in the middle east
the green prince is the code name given to mosab yousef
eldest son of hamas founder and leader sheihk hassan yousef
in secret a spy for covert shin bet - or isa - the israel security agency
this is a true story - his eventual exposure making for big news at the time
the film has 2 talking heads - mosab yousef and his israeli handler gonen ben yitzhak
they tell the story - archival footage and mock-ups provide the required visuals
mosab never was a member of hamas - the 'family business' he describes it
his big mistake was getting busted by the israelis with guns as a teenager
they apparantly suggested he become a spy for them - why not he said
i may have missed the real reason but the point passed me by quickly
why would a young man so entrenched in arab lore switch sides?
he suggests as a means to subvert the war and stop the killings
if so - wow - mightily impressive - but there's something not right
as he says - working for the israelis is far worse than raping your mother
ouch - that is serious - and depressing - what hope for peace in this region?
the heads talk on - providing evidence of how mosab prevented bloodshed
e.g. suicide bombers being detained before they could do the deed
mosab's father similarly spared israeli attacks due to son's connections
all this going on while mosab lived amongst his family and had secret liaisons
unbelievable really - that's one crazy war going on over there - then and now
a volatile situation - changed with the side-lining of gonen the israeli handler
his replacement organising the arrest of mosab and a polygraph test
'were you ever involved in any way with attacks on israeli forces'
yes or no - um well yes actually - but - no buts - into prison for you
which is the best place for him - and alongside his father also arrested
but the secret remains in place until mosab is released - and off to the usa
here he converts to christianity and comes out about his double-life-past
which effectively means he can never return to palestine and is also disowned
in the u.s. of a. though his past association with hamas means he cannot stay there
the patriot act, etc, etc means that hint of terrorism connections is a no-no
it's a big news item - footage of various tv channels covering it at the time
and to the rescue - his handler gonen flies to the states and steps in
and before we know it the us government has backed down
mosab is permitted to stay though never really settled easily
he is a traitor after all to the palestinian cause - a price on his head
so the need to keep on the move constantly in his new home country
an amazing story really and even more so because it really happened
this film is very well constructed - pace and duration also good
the cynic in me looking for motivation - who benefits?
throughout i actually thought the 2 leads were actors
they actually looked so unlike mosab and gonen
seen only briefly in some tv news items in america
so therefore the film from a hungry production company
flesh out a riveting story with some cool graphics and footage
as the credits rolled i searched for the usual acting credits
or at least - mosab - himself and gonen - himself
nothing - suspicion sets in (cynicism to the fore)
afterwards google fails - no mention of actors
must be wrong - silly me - give them their dues
in that case it was a privilege to witness this man's story
but, but, but i just have a feeling we have been duped
there's money to be made from war in the film business
yes - the cynic well and truly to the fore here
down boy - let it go - moving on...
