Reviews

The movie summary made it appear to be something else while the movie itself is a standard-issue situation comedy. The situation is a Moslem man cleaning out his recently-deceased mom's house finds her legal documents, including his adoption certificate. Thru a standard comedy quick-reveal, he finds out he was born to Jewish parents. What follows is satires on the reality on both being Moslem and being Jewish. In that respect, this movie should be shown to both groups and discussed because both groups are fairly represented. Exactly when a man must be the best Moslem possible (so his son can marry the girl of his dreams), he has an identity crisis. The question of his identity is resolved as one would expect, but the humor is in how he does that. The irony is that the only person this Moslem man can tell about his predicament is the Jew across the street from where his mom lived. So, yes, much of the angst wouldn't have happened if he'd been able to be honest with his fellow Moslems, which is another reason both groups should watch this movie. There were points where it was guffaw funny and points where it was painfully honest.

I think the reason it was remade was the copious subtitles required of a Thai film, but the idea, plot, and execution were pretty good. Only, we were offered the Nicholas Cage version on the cable channel, which confused greatly. Seen objectively, it's a good foreign film that happens to center on a hit man. The hits are not the point, tho. The point is how a human being decides that killing others is okay. This logic engine wants ten lines; I don't like being wordy. The acting is good, the characterization is good, and when it looks as if the stripper friend is going to get raped, hit the fast forward because she does. Little is shown, and it's integral to the plot because it is what starts Kong on his self-determination that leads to his destruction.