Justified Betrayal

With a title like that, how could you not want to see the movie?

I saw the previews for this blockbuster-in-making a few months ago and indentified very quickly that I had to see it. It seemed like a good choice for my first Egyptian/Arabic movie experience.

While Egyptians and Indians would disagree with this statement, there is a similarity between both movie cultures…especially when it comes to the action genre: special effects that make you want to laugh, over-acting, fake weapons, men beating woman, and women fighting each other. See my review of Dus for an explanation on the Indian action genre.

Well, Justified Betrayal, had exactly that. The main character was this melodramatic guy who was always smoking and yelling at someone. In one scene, the main character chased another guy, via automobile, into a collection of propane tanks which proceeded to explode on impact. You then saw the main guy running towards the car in an epic display of heroism. “Just in case the violent explosions didn’t kill him, I better get in there to make sure the job is done.” In yet another scene, the main guy got gashed with a plastic knife, and then continued to beat the crap out of this other guy who was hitting him with a stick.

Oh, and this guy was cool around women, too—always beating them or shooting them. I think he was simultaneously playing three women at once, or something like that. And, of course, there was a fight between two women…which the main guy ended up deciding.

I was impressed, however, with the wit displayed by the writers. The main guy shoots his wife and brother because he suspects an affair between he two. Then he basically spends the rest of the movie being setup by the various people around him so that it can be proven that he in fact shot said people. The only thing it was lacking was a big song and dance number.

Did I feel the Betrayal was Justified? Well, that’s asking the question of if it is okay to betray your friend because you know he is getting away with two murders and should be punished accordingly. Hmmm…that’s probably going to require a night at a shisha café to figure out.