A Soldier's Path (2020)

A Soldier's Path
Film poster for A Soldier's Path
Directed by	Mahdi al-Malek
Starring	Kaamil Minhas Ameer el-Afzal Amanda Saldsworth Ilyaas el-Dada Hanlala Saleh Aqeel el-Nassif
Distributed by	50th Tarijabar
Release date	July 5, 2021
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Emmiria
Budget	ع 40 million

A Soldier's Path is a 2021 Emmirian-Zamastanian historical action-thriller film directed by Mahdi al-Malek. It is based off the 1994 EIA mission to rescue one of their agents from a Skithan prison, which sparked an international diplomatic crisis. The film stars Kaamil Minhas as Thaamir al-Bey, Ameer el-Afzal as Wisaam al-Sadri, and Amanda Saldsworth as Elizabeth Cadley. It premiered at the 95th Tofino Film Festival on July 5th, 2021.

Plot

In 1994, the Emmiria and Skith are close to a major trade agreement, as a reconciliation to the conclusion of the Kuye War. The President is due to visit Skithiana to sign the deal. The Emmirian Intelligence Agency learns that its asset Thaamir al-Bey has been arrested at a prison in the city of Shandia and will be executed in 24 hours, unless the Emmirian government claims him and bargains for his release. Al-Bey's actions, unsanctioned by the EIA, risk jeopardizing the agreement.

A group of EIA executives summon Wisaam al-Sadri, a veteran case officer and al-Bey's mentor, who plans to retire from the agency at the end of the day. While purportedly interviewing al-Sadri to learn his history with al-Bey, the executives seek a pretext for not intervening on al-Bey's imprisonment. Unknown to them, al-Sadri was tipped off about al-Bey's capture by a fellow EIA veteran Jaad Amin in Sulifa.

Al-Sadri leaks the story to E1TV through a ZIS contact in Sulifa, believing that public pressure would force Emmirian intervention. They are stalled briefly before a phone call to the broadcast censorship from EIA Deputy Director Isaam al-Taha results in E1TV retracting the story as a hoax.

Al-Sadri met al-Bey in 1983, when al-Bey was a Scout Sniper during the Kuye War. Al-Sadri gives al-Bey a mission to eliminate a high-ranking Skith military officer. Al-Bey and his spotter Yaasir are able to assassinate the target despite being compromised, though al-Bey takes out a pursuing enemy attack chopper. Al-Bey escorts the now wounded Yaasir to safety, impressing al-Sadri. In 1976, al-Sadri recruited al-Bey as a EIA asset in Chingola, where al-Bey was tasked with procuring assets in Mulfulira. Then he discusses al-Bey's spy work in Saudi Jiddiya in 1991 during the Jiddiya Civil War, which was their last mission together.

In a series of flashbacks, al-Bey is troubled by al-Sadri's conviction that civilian "assets" who endangered a mission should be sacrificed to preserve the "greater good." After al-Bey attempts to countermand al-Sadri during a mission to save the life of an asset, al-Sadri emphasizes that he will not tolerate dissent, and would not rescue al-Bey if he was captured going "off the reservation".

During a mission in Jiddiya, al-Bey, posing as a photojournalist, meets relief worker Miranda Cadley. While using her to connect with an asset for the mission, they became romantically involved. Al-Sadri distrusts Cadley, and reveals to al-Bey that she was exiled from Zamastan. Hadley later confesses to al-Bey that she was involved in the bombing of a Skithan building in Zamastan, which was supposed to be empty but contained Skithan nationals. Al-Bey reveals to Cadley his true identity.

Al-Sadri elects again to sacrifice a civilian asset for the sake of their mission, and al-Bey cuts professional ties with al-Sadri. Al-Sadri, fearing that Cadley could threaten the Agency and potentially al-Bey, makes a deal with the Skithans, exchanging Cadley in return for an arrested Emmirian diplomat. Skithan agents kidnap Cadley, and a breakup letter is forged and left for al-Bey.

In the present, al-Sadri recognizes that al-Bey went to Skith for Cadley. In a series of misdirections, he forges a directive signed by the EIA director to begin "Operation Lights Out", a rescue mission spearheaded by a special forces team that al-Bey had developed as a "Plan B" for his own attempt at rescuing Cadley. Using ع282,000 of his life savings and a misappropriated file on Skith coastline satellite imagery, al-Sadri enlists Baten to assist him in bribing a Skithan energy official to cut power to the prison for 30 minutes, during which time the special forces rescue team will retrieve al-Bey and Cadley.

Director al-Taha is suspicious that al-Sadri is working against the EIA, but when he confronts al-Sadri before the gathered executives, al-Sadri "confesses" to unprofessionally using company resources to gather information about his intended retirement home, which he has distorted the evidence to support.

Al-Bey is rescued along with Cadley, and surmises that al-Sadri was responsible when he hears the pilot refer to Operation Lights Out, which was also the code name for an operation al-Bey used to get a birthday gift for al-Sadri while they were in Sulifa. When the EIA officials are belatedly informed of the rescue, al-Sadri has already left the building and is seen driving safely off into the countryside.

Cast

• Kaamil Minhas as Thaamir al-Bey
• Ameer el-Afzal as Wisaam al-Sadri
• Amanda Saldsworth as Elizabeth Cadley
• Ilyaas el-Dada as Isaam al-Taha
• Hanlala Saleh as Yaasir
• Aqeel el-Nassif as Baten

Production

The film began production in Emmiria in mid-2020, with filming in Tarijabar, Kuye, and Rhaga. Scenes were also filmed on location in Ieraskevi, Alcarres, to model the streets of Chingola, which encountered complications for travel crews. Director Mahdi al-Malek decided to shoot with a three-focal lens camera with 40 mm.

Release and reception

The film was premiered at the 95th Tofino Film Festival on July 5th, 2021 to critical acclaim.