Saddled with one of the worst names of a film I can remember, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is an excellent, charming movie that really surprised me.
Ewan McGregor is Dr. Alfred Jones, an uptight, rigid fishing expert with a button up job, a boring life and a routine for everything.
Emily Blunt is Harriett, a senior member at an English Investment group that handles the money of a Sheikh in Yemen.
Sheikh Muhammed is a passionate fly fisherman with a vision of bringing 10,000 salmon to Yemen and changing some of the desert in his home country to an agricultural center.
Dr. Jones thinks the sheikh is crazy, Harriett thinks the Dr is a stuffy bore and what they all discover about each other becomes a fascinating, suspenseful and beautiful little movie.
Amr Waked is amazing as Sheikh Muhammed and how he didn't get a supporting actor nomination this year is a crime. It's the first movie I've seen him in and he has an amazing, powerful presence on film.
The less you know about these characters going in, the better.
Just sit back, put yourself in director Lasse Hallstrom's (The Cider House Rules, What's Eating Gilbert Grape) and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy's (Slumdog Millionaire) hands and enjoy the ride.
Horrible title, BEAUTIFUL movie that snares an A.
Comments