Infidel | |
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Directed by | Cyrus Nowrasteh |
Written by | Cyrus Nowrasteh |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Joel Ransom |
Edited by |
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Music by | Natalie Holt |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Cloudburst Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $4.1 million [1] [2] |
Infidel is a 2020 American political thriller written, directed, and produced by Cyrus Nowrasteh and starring Jim Caviezel, Claudia Karvan, Hal Ozsan, Stelio Savante, Aly Kassem, Bijan Daneshmand, and Isabelle Adriani. The film's executive producer is Dinesh D'Souza, who aided the film with his production company D'Souza Media. [3]
It is the second collaboration between Nowrasteh and Caviezel, following The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008). [4] Both films deal with corruption and human rights abuses by the Iranian regime, and center on foreign journalists (played by Caviezel) whose rights are infringed upon and violated by the Iranian antagonists. [5]
The film was theatrically released in the United States by Cloudburst Entertainment on September 18, 2020.
Doug Rawlins, an outspoken Christian American journalist and blogger, [6] is kidnapped by members of the Iranian regime while he is in Cairo, Egypt making speeches. He is then taken to the Middle East and put on trial for erroneous and phony spying charges. [7] His wife Liz, a State Department official, tries to use her influence to get the American government involved. [8] She wants the US government to get her husband back. However, she soon realizes that the American government will not get involved. [9] Thus she decides to go to the Middle East to rescue him herself. [10]
Infidel was written, directed, and produced by Iranian-American filmmaker Cyrus Nowrasteh. It serves as a spiritual successor to his 2009 film The Stoning of Soraya M. , which also dealt with abuses and corruption by the Iranian regime and starred Jim Caviezel as a foreign journalist antagonized by the regime. Nowrasteh cited several real world instances of American nationals imprisoned by the Iranian government, including Xiyue Wang and Robert Levinson. [11]
The film was shot on-location in Jordan, where Nowrasteh previously shot Soraya M. On his website, Nowrasteh stated the Jordanian film commission kept its filming secret for fear of objections from the Iranian government, and the film had heavy security. When the Iranian government did become aware of Nowrasteh being in Amman to film, it voiced its displeasure to the Jordanian government. [11]
The story centers on a Christian underground inside Iran, led primarily by women. They work together in the film with Muslims who are also in opposition to the Iranian regime, by helping the main character, Doug Rawlins (portrayed by Jim Caviezel) and his wife, Liz (played by Claudia Karvan). Another actress was set to play Liz but left the film only weeks before filming due to a conflicting commitment. Karvan was recommended by Caviezel who worked with her on Long Weekend (2008).
One of the film's producers was Dinesh D’Souza. He helped distribute the film with his company D'Souza Media. D'Souza had previously produced several political documentaries including 2016: Obama's America , Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party , Death of a Nation , and Trump Card . Infidel was his first narrative film.
In March 2020, CloudBurst Entertainment acquired the rights to the film, and slated it for a September 11, 2020 release, which was later pushed back a week. [12] Infidel was theatrically released in the United States on September 18, 2020. [13]
Infidel grossed $1.4 million from 1,724 theaters (an average of $802 per-venue) in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office; 57% of its audience was male, with 85% being over the age of 25. [14] It fell 45% to $761,136 in its second weekend, [15] then made $460,450 in its third weekend. [16]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. [17] According to PostTrak, 86% of audience members gave the film a positive score. [14]
Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2.5/4 stars, writing: "Nowrasteh handles the action sequences confidently and there are many legitimately gripping moments. The best moments for me were the small ones, the intimate ones. Caviezel is often a very solemn figure on-screen, and here, Karvan makes him laugh." [18] Writing for Variety , Peter Debruge said: "Although Caviezel's character is meant to stand in for all Americans unjustly imprisoned by Iran, it would be irresponsible to take the film’s 'inspired by true events' claim too seriously. That doesn't mean it's not satisfying to watch Liz and several co-conspirators raid the facility in an attempt to liberate Doug and all those unjustly detained political prisoners. In this fantasy telling, at least, God is on his side." [19]
The film won the Faith & Freedom Award for Movies at the 2021 MovieGuide Awards. [20]
James Patrick Caviezel Jr. is an American actor. He played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ (2004), Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (2023), and starred as John Reese on the CBS series Person of Interest (2011–2016). He played Slov in G.I. Jane (1997), Private Witt in The Thin Red Line (1998), Detective John Sullivan in Frequency (2000), Catch in Angel Eyes (2001), and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).
Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress and producer. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film Molly (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in High Tide (1987). She portrayed a teacher in The Heartbreak Kid (1993) – the film was spun off into a TV series, Heartbreak High (1994–1999), with her character taken over by Sarah Lambert. Karvan's roles in television series include The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005), Love My Way (2004–2007), Newton's Law (2017) and Halifax: Retribution (2020). She won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards for her appearance in G.P. (1996). She won two similar AFI Awards for her role in Love My Way and in 2014 for her work in The Time of Our Lives (2013–2014). As a co-producer and co-writer on Love My Way, she won three further AFI Awards for Best Drama Series in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Karvan was inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2007 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the Australian film and television industry. From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the drama series Spirited, which she co-created and was executive producer. She appeared as Judy Vickers in Puberty Blues. Karvan has co-produced House of Hancock and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021). In 2021 she co-created, co-produced and starred in the TV drama series, Bump.
Cyrus Nowrasteh is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of film and television. He has worked on numerous television series and made-for-TV movies including The Day Reagan Was Shot, Falcon Crest, Into the West, and the controversial docudrama The Path to 9/11. He has also directed the theatrical features The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009), The Young Messiah (2016), and Infidel (2020).
Stelio Savante is a South African actor that has appeared in 140 films, TV series and video games in the last three decades. He is known for his roles as a South African/Israeli journalist and undercover Mossad agent opposite Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan in the political thriller Infidel, a Portuguese mayor opposite Matt Dillon in the Hawaiian drama Running for Grace, a small town deputy directly opposite Anne Heche, in her final film performance in the noir What Remains, and a rogue policeman in the South African epic drama Colors of Heaven. In 2007 he became the first male South African-born Screen Actors Guild award nominee for his recurring role on Ugly Betty followed by roles in the studio films My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. He is also known for the roles of Moses in the biblical series The Chosen, and the voice of Ajax in the popular video games Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile.
Bijan Daneshmand is an Iranian born-English actor and artist based in London, England.
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The Stoning of Soraya M. is a 2009 Persian-language American drama film adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1990 book La Femme Lapidée.
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