Hollywood and Islam have always had an uncomfortable relationship. From cliched representations of Arab culture evident in films like Sinbad and Lawrence of Arabia, to the overtly offensive and Islamaphobic blockbusters of the 1980s and early 90s like True Lies and Delta Force, the film industry pre 9/11 has never shied away from articulating its prejudices and ignorance on the big screen.just about the beginning of the current Millennial period, a culture of political accuracy began to emerge from some parts of the Western media where there was an acknowledgment that the representation of an entire society only as terrorists, may not be in their best interest. Consequently, dotted throughout celluloid record - especially post 9/11 - a mixture of lacklustre features and quality movies have emerged that effort to redress this representational misbalance. Today, despite the release of movies like Hidalgo and Day of the Falcon, that for all intended purposes try to represent Muslim and Middle Eastern culture in a positive light, yet fail at being entertaining, there have fortunately been some positive and well made movies that deserve our attention. In no particular order here are 10 of them.
Following the success of The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator, epic ‘sword and sandal movies' with production standards that can register on a biblical scale came back into vogue at the beginning of the 2000s. One such movie was Kingdom of Heaven. Its release came at a time when tensions between the East and the West were escalating. With America still reeling from the 9/11 attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan raging, and the Western media warning of an impending 'clash of civilizations', Kingdom of Heaven endeavoured to look at the source of our current discontent. Headlined by Orlando Bloom, Kingdom of Heaven is a slightly less than romantic view of the Crusades. Yet despite its raw and bloody look at a bleak time in both Western and Eastern history, it is also an amazingly balanced movie, showing both sides of the struggle while portraying some of the most powerful personalities from Islamic history in a positive light.
Genre: Historical/Action
Bad Language: Moderate
Sex and Nudity: Some moderate sensuality
Violence: Very Strong
Controversial film director Spike Lee has never been shy in expressing his opinion on race relations in America. Before producing more accessible and mainstream movies like Inside Man, the Spike Lee of the early 1990s was more militant in his approach to the subject matter. While his initial feature films were small-scale comedy dramas, his historical biopic on slain 1960s Civil Rights leader Malcolm X officially put him on the map. The Oscar nominated epic spanning the 3 decades of the life of one of modern Islam’s most controversial figures, takes a pragmatic view of the religion, showing Islam from the perspective of its titular character. From his induction into the troubled The Nation of Islam, to his acceptance of mainstream Islam, Malcolm X remains as one of the most controversial historical movies in modern times that still manages to address race and religion optimistically.
Genre: Historical/Biopic/Drama
Bad Language: Moderate
Sex and Nudity: Mild
Violence: Moderate
Directed by World War Z’s Marc Foster, The Kite Runner is the cinematic adaptation of the novel of the same name. Charting the life of an Afghan boy from his preteen days on the streets of Kabul, to his aspirations as a 30-something year old American, The Kite Runner is a charming, yet harrowing movie. Despite a subject matter that includes the rape of children by other children, suggested pedophilia and graphically violent scenes that includes football stadium based executions conducted by the Taliban, Marc Foster’s look at the lives of the Afghani diaspora - strictly from the perspective of the Afghans, is both unique and refreshing for a mainstream Hollywood movie. With its A-Grade caliber acting, breathtaking cinematography and excellent directing, it is a shame that The Kite Runner was overlooked at the Academy Awards and the box office.
Genre: Drama
Bad Language: Moderate
Sex and Nudity: Non-explicit rape of a young boy
Violence: Very Strong
A slightly convoluted yet very sincere look at modern Arab American life, American East is an examination of the issues the Muslim community in the United States is currently facing. The clash of cultures between the Arab and Jewish American communities, juxtaposed with the generational differences between Arab immigrants and their aging American born offspring, sets the stage for all of the issues that have arisen in a post-9/11 America. Starring Tony Shaloub (Monk), Anthony Aziz (Eagle Eye) and Sayid Badreya (Iron Man), American East is a slick and well put-together feature that unfortunately was lost under the radar due to its botched release and subsequent lack of marketing.
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Bad Language: Strong
Sex and Nudity: Moderate. Some explicit verbal references.
Violence: Mild
Unlike most of the other movies on this list, Syriana is primarily told from the perspective of non-Muslims, however this does not stop it from being an intriguing feature that for a Hollywood movie is uncharacteristically balanced when it comes to showing both the good and the bad of the Muslim world. Starring famed Hollywood liberals Matt Damon as a young oil executive and George Clooney as a Black Ops agent, with supporting performances from Star Trek - Deep Space 9’s Siddiq El Fadel as a young open minded Gulf prince and Amanda (X-Files: I Want To Believe) Peet as Damon’s wife, Syriana is an examination of all the components that could lead to Islamic terrorism.
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Bad Language: Strong
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Very Strong/Gruesome
Written by comedian Steve Martin (yes, we still can not get over the fact that it was written by that Steve Martin) Traitor takes a slightly more optimistic view on the origins and resolution of terrorism in this very serious Bourne Identity styled thriller. Starring Iron Man’s Don Cheadle as a Sudanese born CIA Black Ops agent who is on a 'deep, deep cover’ mission to infiltrate an international terrorist organization, Traitor is unusual for a Hollywood movie as it is primarily told from the perspective of its Muslim protagonist (antagonist?). As Cheadle’s mission rapidly descends into several shades of grey and it appears that his allegiance to the US maybe in doubt on the eve of a major terrorist attack, just about every other intelligence agency (ironically headed by Iron Man 3's bad guy Guy Pearce) unsure of his real identity, are on his tail, eager to track him down before he himself instigates trouble of his own.
Genre: Thriller
Bad Language: Strong
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Strong
Akin to American East, Mooz-lum is a 'slice of life' drama looking at the modern lives of an American Muslim family. Despite the family being African American, the generational differences between the relatively young parents and their offspring are examined in this drama in an analogous manner to what we have already seen in American East. This honest and warm story about a troubled son coming to grips with his faith, its practice, his strict religious father and college life stars Nia Long (Hitch) Roger Guenveur Smith (Malcolm X), relative newcomer Evan Ross and Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover. With a Final Destination 5 style reveal at the end serving as a harbinger for more troubling times ahead for its characters, Mooz-lum is a commendable family drama that is as much about Islam as it is about its characters.
Genre: Family/Drama
Bad Language: Very Mild
Sex and Nudity: Strong references to child abuse.
Violence: Mild
A unique movie given its content and cast, Djinn is a creepy tale following the lives of an Emirati couple that have emigrated back to the UAE from the US, only to find themselves not only dealing with the culture shock of shifting from the Western world back to the East, but also the nightly attacks by a host of otherworldly creatures from Islamic folklore. Moving into a newly constructed (and thus empty) luxury hi-rise building in the quiet emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the couple learns that their residential development occupies the spot of a haunted fishing village, and that its supernatural inhabitants i.e the djinn are not too happy about having them as new neighbours.As of 2014, the drama surrounding the production and release of the supernatural thriller Djinn has so far surpassed its script. There are still a number of conflicting reasons as to why the film had been stuck in a lengthy development hell and why the finished product was less than loved by the critics. What is undeniable is the disappointment many local cinema going fans of the genre felt when Djinn quickly disappeared back into its lamp shortly after its premier and limited release in Dubai.Scribed by Tobe Hooper, famed director of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Stephen Spielberg produced chiller Poltergeist, Djinn was for all intended purposes anticipated to be the third big budget movie to come out of the UAE set in the country following City of Life and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; however that accolade went to Fast and Furious 7. With the anticipation and excitement for a major release of Djinn already dead, fans will probably have to wait until it gets an official, but unlikely international release and renewed marketing campaign before we ever hear of it again.
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Bad Language: Mild
Sex and Nudity: Mild Sensuality
Violence: Strong Fantastical
Released in 1981, this historical drama starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar who battled the Italian army in the years leading up to World War II and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani his arch nemesis, Lion of the Desert is an epic big budget feature... that no one outside of the Middle East has heard of. Cinema historian Stuart Galbraith IV says that Lion of the Desert is "A fascinating look inside a facet of Arab culture profoundly significant yet virtually unknown outside North Africa and the Arab world." The film is so popular in the Middle East that for a while it was banned in Italy as its negative portrayal of the Italian government and its military had diplomatic ramifications on the country's relationship with North Africa.
Genre: Historical
Bad Language: None
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Moderate/Strong
Celebrated movie The Message is an entertainment mainstay for the Ramadan holiday in many Muslim households and is unofficial required viewing for Muslim converts. Again starring Anthony Quinn, this epic movie charting the life of the Prophet Mohamed (sws) and the early spread of Islam, The Message was made twice – filmed in English and then almost simultaneously in Arabic with an entirely different cast.Akin to Lion of the Desert, Lawrence of Arabia and other big budget 'sword and sandal movies' made pre-CGI, the production standards are not what one may appreciate today in an age of digital special effects and CGI excess. Furthermore, questions remain on whether this movie should have even been made given the religious prohibitions on the visual representation of the prophets. While its filmmakers valiantly adhere to not showing the Prophet Mohammed (sws), it does seriously impact the overall quality of the script. Yet regardless of its problems, The Message remains as one of the quintessential Western backed films ever made about Islam.
Genre: Historical
Bad Language: None
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Moderate/Strong
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10: Kingdom of Heaven
Following the success of The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator, epic ‘sword and sandal movies' with production standards that can register on a biblical scale came back into vogue at the beginning of the 2000s. One such movie was Kingdom of Heaven. Its release came at a time when tensions between the East and the West were escalating. With America still reeling from the 9/11 attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan raging, and the Western media warning of an impending 'clash of civilizations', Kingdom of Heaven endeavoured to look at the source of our current discontent. Headlined by Orlando Bloom, Kingdom of Heaven is a slightly less than romantic view of the Crusades. Yet despite its raw and bloody look at a bleak time in both Western and Eastern history, it is also an amazingly balanced movie, showing both sides of the struggle while portraying some of the most powerful personalities from Islamic history in a positive light.
Genre: Historical/Action
Bad Language: Moderate
Sex and Nudity: Some moderate sensuality
Violence: Very Strong
9: Malcolm X
Controversial film director Spike Lee has never been shy in expressing his opinion on race relations in America. Before producing more accessible and mainstream movies like Inside Man, the Spike Lee of the early 1990s was more militant in his approach to the subject matter. While his initial feature films were small-scale comedy dramas, his historical biopic on slain 1960s Civil Rights leader Malcolm X officially put him on the map. The Oscar nominated epic spanning the 3 decades of the life of one of modern Islam’s most controversial figures, takes a pragmatic view of the religion, showing Islam from the perspective of its titular character. From his induction into the troubled The Nation of Islam, to his acceptance of mainstream Islam, Malcolm X remains as one of the most controversial historical movies in modern times that still manages to address race and religion optimistically.
Genre: Historical/Biopic/Drama
Bad Language: Moderate
Sex and Nudity: Mild
Violence: Moderate
8. The Kite Runner
Directed by World War Z’s Marc Foster, The Kite Runner is the cinematic adaptation of the novel of the same name. Charting the life of an Afghan boy from his preteen days on the streets of Kabul, to his aspirations as a 30-something year old American, The Kite Runner is a charming, yet harrowing movie. Despite a subject matter that includes the rape of children by other children, suggested pedophilia and graphically violent scenes that includes football stadium based executions conducted by the Taliban, Marc Foster’s look at the lives of the Afghani diaspora - strictly from the perspective of the Afghans, is both unique and refreshing for a mainstream Hollywood movie. With its A-Grade caliber acting, breathtaking cinematography and excellent directing, it is a shame that The Kite Runner was overlooked at the Academy Awards and the box office.
Genre: Drama
Bad Language: Moderate
Sex and Nudity: Non-explicit rape of a young boy
Violence: Very Strong
7. American East
A slightly convoluted yet very sincere look at modern Arab American life, American East is an examination of the issues the Muslim community in the United States is currently facing. The clash of cultures between the Arab and Jewish American communities, juxtaposed with the generational differences between Arab immigrants and their aging American born offspring, sets the stage for all of the issues that have arisen in a post-9/11 America. Starring Tony Shaloub (Monk), Anthony Aziz (Eagle Eye) and Sayid Badreya (Iron Man), American East is a slick and well put-together feature that unfortunately was lost under the radar due to its botched release and subsequent lack of marketing.
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Bad Language: Strong
Sex and Nudity: Moderate. Some explicit verbal references.
Violence: Mild
6. Syriana
Unlike most of the other movies on this list, Syriana is primarily told from the perspective of non-Muslims, however this does not stop it from being an intriguing feature that for a Hollywood movie is uncharacteristically balanced when it comes to showing both the good and the bad of the Muslim world. Starring famed Hollywood liberals Matt Damon as a young oil executive and George Clooney as a Black Ops agent, with supporting performances from Star Trek - Deep Space 9’s Siddiq El Fadel as a young open minded Gulf prince and Amanda (X-Files: I Want To Believe) Peet as Damon’s wife, Syriana is an examination of all the components that could lead to Islamic terrorism.
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Bad Language: Strong
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Very Strong/Gruesome
5. Traitor
Written by comedian Steve Martin (yes, we still can not get over the fact that it was written by that Steve Martin) Traitor takes a slightly more optimistic view on the origins and resolution of terrorism in this very serious Bourne Identity styled thriller. Starring Iron Man’s Don Cheadle as a Sudanese born CIA Black Ops agent who is on a 'deep, deep cover’ mission to infiltrate an international terrorist organization, Traitor is unusual for a Hollywood movie as it is primarily told from the perspective of its Muslim protagonist (antagonist?). As Cheadle’s mission rapidly descends into several shades of grey and it appears that his allegiance to the US maybe in doubt on the eve of a major terrorist attack, just about every other intelligence agency (ironically headed by Iron Man 3's bad guy Guy Pearce) unsure of his real identity, are on his tail, eager to track him down before he himself instigates trouble of his own.
Genre: Thriller
Bad Language: Strong
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Strong
4. Mooz-lum
Akin to American East, Mooz-lum is a 'slice of life' drama looking at the modern lives of an American Muslim family. Despite the family being African American, the generational differences between the relatively young parents and their offspring are examined in this drama in an analogous manner to what we have already seen in American East. This honest and warm story about a troubled son coming to grips with his faith, its practice, his strict religious father and college life stars Nia Long (Hitch) Roger Guenveur Smith (Malcolm X), relative newcomer Evan Ross and Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover. With a Final Destination 5 style reveal at the end serving as a harbinger for more troubling times ahead for its characters, Mooz-lum is a commendable family drama that is as much about Islam as it is about its characters.
Genre: Family/Drama
Bad Language: Very Mild
Sex and Nudity: Strong references to child abuse.
Violence: Mild
3. Djinn
A unique movie given its content and cast, Djinn is a creepy tale following the lives of an Emirati couple that have emigrated back to the UAE from the US, only to find themselves not only dealing with the culture shock of shifting from the Western world back to the East, but also the nightly attacks by a host of otherworldly creatures from Islamic folklore. Moving into a newly constructed (and thus empty) luxury hi-rise building in the quiet emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the couple learns that their residential development occupies the spot of a haunted fishing village, and that its supernatural inhabitants i.e the djinn are not too happy about having them as new neighbours.As of 2014, the drama surrounding the production and release of the supernatural thriller Djinn has so far surpassed its script. There are still a number of conflicting reasons as to why the film had been stuck in a lengthy development hell and why the finished product was less than loved by the critics. What is undeniable is the disappointment many local cinema going fans of the genre felt when Djinn quickly disappeared back into its lamp shortly after its premier and limited release in Dubai.Scribed by Tobe Hooper, famed director of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Stephen Spielberg produced chiller Poltergeist, Djinn was for all intended purposes anticipated to be the third big budget movie to come out of the UAE set in the country following City of Life and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; however that accolade went to Fast and Furious 7. With the anticipation and excitement for a major release of Djinn already dead, fans will probably have to wait until it gets an official, but unlikely international release and renewed marketing campaign before we ever hear of it again.
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Bad Language: Mild
Sex and Nudity: Mild Sensuality
Violence: Strong Fantastical
2. Lion of the Desert
Released in 1981, this historical drama starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar who battled the Italian army in the years leading up to World War II and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani his arch nemesis, Lion of the Desert is an epic big budget feature... that no one outside of the Middle East has heard of. Cinema historian Stuart Galbraith IV says that Lion of the Desert is "A fascinating look inside a facet of Arab culture profoundly significant yet virtually unknown outside North Africa and the Arab world." The film is so popular in the Middle East that for a while it was banned in Italy as its negative portrayal of the Italian government and its military had diplomatic ramifications on the country's relationship with North Africa.
Genre: Historical
Bad Language: None
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Moderate/Strong
1. The Message
Celebrated movie The Message is an entertainment mainstay for the Ramadan holiday in many Muslim households and is unofficial required viewing for Muslim converts. Again starring Anthony Quinn, this epic movie charting the life of the Prophet Mohamed (sws) and the early spread of Islam, The Message was made twice – filmed in English and then almost simultaneously in Arabic with an entirely different cast.Akin to Lion of the Desert, Lawrence of Arabia and other big budget 'sword and sandal movies' made pre-CGI, the production standards are not what one may appreciate today in an age of digital special effects and CGI excess. Furthermore, questions remain on whether this movie should have even been made given the religious prohibitions on the visual representation of the prophets. While its filmmakers valiantly adhere to not showing the Prophet Mohammed (sws), it does seriously impact the overall quality of the script. Yet regardless of its problems, The Message remains as one of the quintessential Western backed films ever made about Islam.
Genre: Historical
Bad Language: None
Sex and Nudity: None
Violence: Moderate/Strong
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Comment Below!!
Wow!! That`s great! I`ll watch`em all!!
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