Good story, Not enough for a whole film

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

a movie who desires be testimony. not as documentary or accusation to a regime. not as dramatization of a dictatorship. but as picture of its roots and its soul. as puzzle of a deep tragedy out of words. it suggests, describes, show. in honest and direct way. using the subtle precise power of image. recreating shadows of past and remember not only the steps of Hussein dictatorship but the silhouettes of Stalin or Ghadafi ascension to power. more than a series, it is instrument to reflection about terrible forms of pain. about steps of absolute power. maybe it is not exactly the truth. the details are pieces of darkness but the basic lines are enough to understand the circle of this regime and for not consider the war against Iraq from 2003 only fruit of American propaganda. because evil is not propriety of definitions.

As far as a TV mini-series goes, it doesn't get much better than this. The co-production that boasts the heavyweight partnership between HBO and BBC is evident in the quality of the sets, the cinematography, the casting (for the most part), script writing, editing, and acting.Each episode created heart-racing drama, often so thick it could be cut with a knife.My once qualm: as an Arabic speaker, I could hear right through some accents that were clearly not Arab. The worst offenders being Shohreh Aghdashloo's thick Iranian accent handling the part of Saddam's wife Sajida -- an earsore if there ever was one. Another was Agni Scott (ne' Tsangaridou) who's evident Greek accent again distracted from her performance as Raghad Hussein.However, the roles of Uday, Tariq Aziz, Ali Hassan al-Majid, Hussein Kamel, and especially Saddam (played by Yigal Naor) were as convincing as one could ask for.Overall highly entertaining, and informative for those less familiar with the Baath regime, as the plot line curbed closely to the facts. Well worth watching.

Just having finished watching Episode 3, my previous impressions of the high caliber of this production have been confirmed and surpassed. The whole cast turns in by-now-predictably superior performances, aided in good part by the writing and cinematography - both of which are likewise outstanding. In this latest episode, however, I was especially impressed with Agni Scott's quite stunning performance as Raghad Hussein.Scott plays the loving and obedient wife of General Kamel Hussein, and the knowing daughter of her country and her father, Saddam Hussein. And Scott plays the role to perfection. Raghad's deep understanding of Iraq and of her father is a telling counterpoint to the repeatedly foolish choices of her husband -- the self-pretending pretender to the pretender who is the President.Scott (a true beauty whose resemblance to Mini Driver is quite astounding) shines here, as she has done in other venues (e.g., The Hamburg Cell). But so much of this production shines in so many ways, large and small. (Like the camera shot at (ep. 3) @ 25 minutes -- "I always knew he was a snake . . ."; like the musical score).A very bad story, told so very well. Thank you BBC and HBO. Thank you, all.

The rise and fall of the Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein.What a big project this must have been. Trying to distil the best bits of Saddam's twenty four years in power in to four hours and not losing those not steeped in Middle Eat politics would appear impossible to some - but my word, they have pulled it off! Here you have it all: Power, sex, family, violence, politics, war, madness, you name it. The complete drama play box. Yet this is a personal drama that is more interested in family and politics than needless bloodshed. Not that it isn't very gory at times. This is not for children.You also have a fantastic lead performance from Yigal Naor. Utterly mesmerising: Deluded, multi-faced, sometimes charming and yet ruling by fear. Trusting nobody - and certainly not his friends or family. Hitler meets Idi Amin in a country with rich oil fields and - therefore - "important" to the West.Pick of the highly convincing support cast is Philip Arditti as "first son" Uday. The mad-as-a-hatter "heir". The camera lingers/glaces on him for no reason at council and cabinet meetings, sneering or (inappropriately) looking unconcerned. He even makes Saddam look straight!Yes, it had loads of things to crib and copy from: The Sopranos and the Godfather Trilogy among them, but it is amazing how the format fits around a story that is almost entirely true. In its major facts at least.If there is a better mini-series played on TV this year I would be very surprised. You'll want to watch it more than once - I know I did.