Infidel

This "inspired by true events" drama is presented in a blandly impersonal, uninspired manner, with wobbly, uneven filmmaking, a dull lead character, and a mixed collection of messages about faith. Doug remains rather flat throughout, and when he's kidnapped, it could be for either of two possible reasons, rather than one strong reason. Perhaps writer-director Cyrus Nowrasteh intended to use one of these reasons as a red herring, but instead Doug's controversial TV interview just ends up hanging there for apparently no reason. Meanwhile, the movie occasionally seems to be open to exploring different kinds of faiths and beliefs, but it always pulls back and returns to Doug's faith being the "correct" one; he even gets to "forgive" his tormentor/kidnapper at one point.

Perhaps because of this character flaw, Doug's relationship with Liz -- who renounced her faith after losing her unborn baby in a car accident -- isn't explored very deeply. How do they communicate or connect with each other when they have such different value systems? But Liz is a crackerjack character, and Karvan plays her with plenty of vibrant gusto. Ozsan's kidnapper/tormentor, Ramzi, is also interesting and amusing. Infidel briefly comes alive when these characters are driving the scene, but then the filmmaking flaws come in to stall things once again. The camera drifts and shambles uneasily, and the seemingly random cuts are both jarring and rhythmically monotonous.