Metri shesh va nim

English title: Law of Tehran

Also known as: Just 6.5

Genre: crime drama

With: Payman Maadi*(Samad Majidi), Navid Mohammadzadeh (Naser Khakzad), Houman Kiai (Hamid), Farhad Aslani (the Judge), Maziar Seyedi (Ashkani), Parinaz Izadyar (Elham), Ali Bagheri (Reza Moradi), Marjan Ghamari (Damereza, Reza Moradi's wife), Yusef Khosravi (Vahid, the Crippled Man's son), Amirhossein Mirchi (Reza Japoni), Mehdi Hosseininia (Hassan Gavi)

Director: Saeed Roustayi

Screenplay: Saeed Roustayi

Release: 2019

Studio: Boshra Film, HA International

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10

 

 

‟There's no Naser Khakzad in the drug trade.”

 

 

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Story-line: with the help of his colleagues Hamid and Ashkani, narcotics agent Samad Majidi is making every effort to nab a drug trafficker named Naser Khakzad. Catching the elusive trafficker would be a genuine achievement for Samad, who is seeking a promotion that Hamid also wants, but his leads are untrustworthy and progress is unbearably difficult.

Pluses: forceful performances by Payman Maadi (as the aggressive Samad), Navid Mohammadzadeh (in a surprisingly nuanced role) and an exceptional cast (all actors, including the children, are top-notch), tight, professional direction, a complex, twisty and high-impact screenplay filled with extraordinary situations and hard-hitting dialogues, lovely cinematography, frenetic editing, high-quality production values and an energetic, entirely appropriate musical score.

Minuses: in the eye of some reviewers, the stunning LAW OF TEHRAN is an indictment of Iranian policing and society but I won’t pass judgment on the issue. One must remember that, in the war on drugs, Western law enforcement has been plagued by inefficiency, insufficient resources, police corruption and other problems.

Comments: once you have seen the opening sequence – in which Samad hunts down a small-time dealer – you will understand why this movie deserves a very high score. With its relentless action and its gallery of impressive characters, the revealing LAW OF TEHRAN demonstrates how the fight against drugs is an uphill battle – especially when you learn the meaning of its alternate title, JUST 6.5. Man has always tried to escape reality by whatever means at his disposal, even those that are harmful or illegal. Come to think of it, even cinema can be considered a form of escape… but at least it won’t set the cops running after you. Kudos to Saeed Roustayi for his great contribution to cinema, in only his second attempt at directing.

  

MBiS 

© 2024 – All rights reserved 

*Please note that proper names in this review have alternate spellings. My apologies to any and all concerned.

O Lobo Atrás da Porta

English title: A Wolf at the Door

Genre: suspense film   

With: Milhem Cortaz (Bernardo), Fabiula Nascimento (Sylvia, his wife), Isabelle Ribas (Clara), Leandra Leal (Rosa), Tamara Taxman (Rosa’s mother), Juliano Cazarré (Detective Delegado), Paulo Tiefenthaler (Wander), Thalita Carauta (Betty), Karine Teles (Professora Arlete)

Director: Fernando Coimbra

Screenplay: Fernando Coimbra

Release: 2013

Studio: Gullane, TC Filmes

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

  

– Who was that woman? A stranger?

– Not a stranger. The girl ran over to her, jumped up into her arms. 

 

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Story-line: Rio de Janeiro. When Sylvia arrives at Dona Arlete’s school to fetch her daughter Clara, she is told that the little girl has already left with Sheila, a neighbour. Because none of her neighbours answers to that name, Sylvia immediately reports the disappearance to the police. 

Pluses: tremendous acting by Milhem Cortaz, Fabiula Nascimento and especially Leandra Leal in wide-ranging roles, convincing support from a fine cast, irreproachable direction, a realistic and well-structured screenplay that effortlessly blends past and present to tell its story of mystery and deceit, crisp and clean cinematography, appropriate production values, a purposeful musical score and a stunning climax.

Minuses: none.

Comments: after a whirlwind 14-minute intro, Fernando Coimbra’s masterful film reconstructs the events that led to Clara’s disappearance. As it brilliantly unravels a mass of lies, contradictions, threats, revelations and cruelties, you will get to know the parties involved and measure the full extent of their drama. Modest but no less hard-hitting, A WOLF AT THE DOOR is a valuable, riveting addition to cinema and to any movie buff’s treasure trove.   

 

MBiS

 © 2024 – All rights reserved