Inescapable is an American movie about a Canadian Banker who is actually an ex-Syrian Intelligence Officer convicted in absentia by Damascus. Confused? Good. You should be. That’s exactly the way Ruba Nadda intended it. Keep in mind, Nadda is dealing with age-old tendencies here (i.e., the foolhardy notion of trying to outrun one’s past). As such, she really has no other alternative but to present her subject matter in a fresh, new-angled way.

To Nadda’s credit, that is precisely where Inescapable succeeds.

You’ve got spies and you’ve got intrigue. You’ve got edge lighting and track shots. You’ve got blood, and you’ve got water. You’ve got byzantine bureaucracy, reining down upon them both. You’ve got burkas and you’ve got brandy. You’ve got back-door border jumping, granted in exchange for belts of Scotch. You’ve got a Sudanese lead with Mediterranean eyes, and an entire thematic palate that’s indicative of both. You’ve got Josh Jackson, A.D.-Fringe, and Marisa Tomei, aging nicely. You’ve got all of that and more, weaved intricately into an taut, well-thought-out story. The plotholes are subtle; the miscues are slight. Alexander Siddig kicks much ass. The end.

(Inescapable arrives in limited release this coming Friday, February 22nd.)