Drama Five Minarets in New York splits its
time between New York and Turkey. After a series of covert raids and rough interrogations,
one criminal reveals the identity of a dangerous international terrorist
referred to by the codename ‘Dajjal’. Under duress, the man tells Turkish
police officers that the person they’re looking for is Hadji Gumush (Haluk
Bilginer).
In New York,
Agent David Becker (Robert Patrick) and his team from the FBI receive a warrant
from Interpol and arrest Muslim scholar and family man Hadji Gumush. His wife
Maria (Gina Gershon), daughter and friend Marcus (Danny Glover) seem clueless about
his past and believe him to be innocent. Hadji appears to be a devoted husband
and father but could this just be a front for his sinister true identity?
Two Turkish
secret service officers called Firat (Mahsun Kirmizigül) and Acar (Mustafa
Sandal) are sent to America to extradite Hadji. On their way to the airport to
fly him back to Turkey, their cars come under attack and Hadji escapes custody.
His friend Marcus planned the escape and helps him go into hiding to elude the
authorities because he fears that Hadji won’t be treated fairly if he’s taken
back to Turkey. Firat and Acar hunt for Hadji and when they find him he submits
to being taken to Istanbul. After spending some time with him, they start to
have doubts about his guilt. But if he’s innocent, why has he been accused of
being a fundamentalist and the leader of an international terror network?
Five Minarets in New York was written and directed by Mahsun Kirmizigül, who also stars in the film as one of the main characters. This is his third film and, following two solely Turkish productions, it is his English-language debut. He spent all the profit he made from his previous movies on the making of this one, and he manages to not stray too far from his roots.
The film
examines whether a man’s innocence or guilt matters to someone who is blinded
by and hunting for vengeance, and asks the audience to think about how far
they’d go to bring someone to justice. There is an interesting twist at the end
of the film that turns the events on their head. The hunted man and one of his
hunters are revealed to have more in common than it first appeared.
Large
parts of the film are uninvolving as viewers are given minimal background information
about many of the characters, who are quite one-dimensional. No one stands out
as the person we should be identifying with and rooting for. The constant
uncertainty about Hadji’s guilt is the main focus of attention for the viewer. There
is also a difficult balance in the film as it switches between American
thriller and Turkish film commenting on Islamophobia. There is decent American
talent, with three well-known actors who are impressive if a little underused
in their supporting roles. The thought-provoking story effectively draws the
audience’s attention and as it reaches its conclusion, the strands unwind to
reveal a smart sub-plot underneath.
[DVD screener provided by Flickering Myth. Review originally posted here]
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