''An Ordinary Man'' is a 2017 American
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
written, directed and produced by
Brad Silberling
Bradley Mitchell Silberling (born September 8, 1963) is an American television and film director whose credits include the feature films '' Casper'' (1995), '' City of Angels'' (1998), '' Moonlight Mile'' (2002), '' Lemony Snicket's A Series of ...
. It stars
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...
,
Hera Hilmar and
Peter Serafinowicz. Filmed in
Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
in 2015, it was screened at the
Bari International Film Festival in April 2017 and picked up in February 2018 by
Saban Films
Saban Capital Group LLC is an American investment company based in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the ...
, who released it
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
in June 2018.
[
]
Plot
A war criminal is hiding in plain sight in an unnamed Balkan country. He is wanted internationally for ethnic cleansing and war crimes, but his country pretends his whereabouts to be unknown despite international pressures to turn him in. A retinue of loyalists watches over him and ensures his safety as he goes about his life in a city where his face is well known. He begins to form a relationship with his newly hired maid, Tanja, after he expresses loneliness to her. Initially treating her abusively, he gradually forms an awkward friendship with her. She is later revealed to be an agent who is hired to protect him. She reluctantly drives him to the cemetery in his home village. His driver, who had been waiting for them, kills her on the spot, and drives the General back to his apartment in the city. The last scene shows him awaiting his arrest, seated at his kitchen table, with a handgun and bullets laid out in front of him.
The character of the General is based on Ratko Mladić, who was ultimately sentenced to life in prison for war crimes committed in the Bosnian war
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
.
Cast
* Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...
as The General
* Hera Hilmar as Tanja
* Peter Serafinowicz as Miro
* Robert Blythe as Grocer
Reception
On review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 41%, based on 22 reviews, and an average rating of 4.9/10.
References
External links
*
*
An Ordinary Man
' at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
2017 films
2017 thriller films
American thriller films
Films about mass murder
Films about murderers
Films about war crimes
Films directed by Brad Silberling
Films with screenplays by Brad Silberling
Films scored by Christophe Beck
Films shot in Serbia
Films set in Serbia
Films set in Belgrade
Films shot in Belgrade
Cultural depictions of Ratko Mladić
2017 drama films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
English-language thriller films
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