Director Jean-Jacques Annaud has made some of the most interesting adaptations to date, but his interpretation of Hans Ruesch’s novel, South of the Heart: A Novel of Modern Arabia slips through his fingers like a person trying to hold a handful of sand. The story itself is entertaining, but its 2 hour and 5 minute run time is exhausting like the book’s original title and the new title doesn’t make sense when everything plays out. My biggest complaints is the poor acting, unimaginative cinematography and the use of non-Arabian actors in the lead roles. I could not resist thinking of John Wayne playing Genghis Khan when I saw Antonio Banderas as Emir Nesib, Mark Strong as Sultan Amar and Freida Pinto as Princess Leyla (even though she is the most gorgeous woman on the planet). Wayne’s performance still bothers me to this day and I confident that Banderas’ role will do the same.
WORD COUNT: 151
Chuck’s Grade: D
Adam’s Grade: N/A
