brilliant actors, brilliant editing

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

First, yes, the filmmakers could have been more considerate and filmed it in Beirut and hired local actors and crew if they wanted to truly pay homage to the city, but is it that despicable or offensive? Probably not. They might have made up for it by including all the clichés that the Lebanese folks like to hear and see, such as "ski in the morning, go to the beach in the afternoon, and party all night", and the girl in the bikini walking next to a veiled woman. And their over-simplified summation of the very complex nature of the conflicts seems to hold some truth and is probably just enough for the short attention span folk, who could only consume brief over-simplified summation. But overall, the film is only slightly entertaining, the story is ok, nothing deep or moving, average suspense and action, but it's interesting how it's mixed up with the tragic events of the city, although most of them is made up.

Good performances, authentic locations. Occasionally has you wondering if it is worth persevering. It is.

Responding to a devastating bombing in Beirut that took the lives of American Marines stationed there in 1983, President Ronald Reagan tried to put a noble spin on the atrocity by saying, "Our goal is for peace in the region." Thirty-five years later, the film "Beirut," as well as American foreign policy, seems frozen in the same quagmire in the Middle East.There is an especially poignant moment in the film that has nothing to do with the main, melodramatic action. A man and a woman are dressed in bridle attire and posing for their wedding photo. But there is no wedding entourage and no celebration. The couple is merely standing in the rubble in Beirut that resembles nothing less than war-torn Berlin in 1945. That images speak volumes about the chaos in Lebanon, which is described in the film as "a boarding house without a landlord" filled with conflicting Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Hamm is good as the fast-talking, hard-drinking negotiator Mason Skiles, whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack while he is serving in a diplomatic post in 1972. Ten years later and an alcoholic, Mason is brought back to Beirut to negotiate a hostage crisis. Mason''s style is to simply keep talking and dicker with his opponents in order to free his old buddy Cal. The hyperactive Mason refers to this process as "cross-cultural arbitration." The strongest part of the film was the first half that shed light on the enmity, violence, and anarchy that turned the formerly beautiful nation of Lebanon into an inferno. But the second half of the film faltered, as the thrust shifted to a straightforward hostage rescue drama. Still, the scripting of "Beirut" included snappy dialogue that moved along at a fast pace, and the cinematography and location shooting gave a flavor of the heat, the grime, and the ever-present prospect of terror. There was a cynicism in the film, suggesting that American diplomats and intelligence officers are a slippery lot, working at cross-purposes and never failing to have someone using personal power for personal gain. The ultimate take-away from the film is that "peace in the region" of Beirut is but a pipe dream.

Like the actors, solid story, well told. Overall very enjoyable.