Khooné (2023)

Khooné
Film poster for Khooné
Directed by	Parsa Yazdani
Written by	Shahab Fathi
Starring	Sattar Manesh Aycan Kashani Haani al-Fahmy Dominick Lamar Holden
Distributed by	50th Tarijabar
Release date	September 5, 2023
Running time	122 minutes
Country	Emmiria
Budget	ع 120 million
Box office	ع 1.29 billion

Khooné (Emmiri for House) is a 2023 Emmirian action thriller film directed by Parsa Yazdani and written by Shahab Fathi. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, it stars Sattar Manesh, Aycan Kashani, Dominick Lamar Holden, and Haani al-Fahmy. In the film, a mercenary is initially hired to rescue the family of an abusive crime lord from a prison in Jiddiya. Several deviations separate the film from the source material of the graphic novel, however the overall story is largely maintained. Khooné is the most expensive Emmirian film ever made, and was met with widespread critical acclaim for its stunt work, action, cinematography, and performances. Released on September 5th, 2023, it became the second-highest grossing Emmirian film after Black Dagger with a total global gross ع 1.29 billion. It recieved three nominations at the 97th Tofino Film Festival, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Kashani), and Best Sound Editing.

Plot

10 weeks after barely surviving a previous mission in Sersiu, Serra Leon, Erfan Hayaii retires from mercenary work to a cabin in the highlands of central Unified Sera to recuperate. There, he is approached by a stranger and asked to rescue Nina, the sister of his ex-wife Shorena, and her two children, Khaalid and Jaleela, from Jiddiya. Nina married Raafi el-Sabet, one of the co-founders of the Daavar, the largest crime syndicate in Jiddiya. After Raafi threw a ZIS agent off a bridge, he was imprisoned and unable to bribe his way out due to the pressure from the Zamastanians. Raafi forces Nina and her children to move into the prison to keep them from leaving him, but the bad living conditions and Raafi's abuse cause Nina to call Shorena for help.

Meanwhile, a governor on his payroll informs Raafi's brother Ramalaan that Raafi's sentence is extended by ten years. Ramalaan asks the governor to release his brother, but the governor refuses since he does not want the Zamastanians to go after him. Enraged, Ramalaan kills the governor and his bodyguards. Erfan recruits Yosun and her brother Halil to join him, and they infiltrate the prison with help from a bribed guard. Raafi alerts the prisoners, who start a riot. During the extraction, Raafi attacks Erfan and Nina, resulting in Erfan killing him. Erfan and Nina fight their way through the riot but manage to board an armored train. After fighting off Daavar forces and corrupt soldiers, they get to a plane and escape to Kito'Bahari, Unified Sera, but Khaalid, who idolizes his father, secretly contacts his uncle and reveals their location. Nina tells Yosun that Erfan was her brother-in-law. Ramalaan and his men find and attack Erfan and his team in their safehouse in Kito'Bahari. Nina scolds her son for endangering his own family and naivete. In the chaos, Khaalid abandons his mother and joins Ramalaan.

The team flees in one of Ramalaan's helicopters, but Ramalaan mortally wounds Halil. The team retreat to Erfan's cabin, where he and Nina are reunited with Shorena. Erfan apologizes to Shorena for leaving on a mission before their son died from cancer, regretful that the last memory he had was Erfan leaving him. Vaso, Ramalaan's right-hand man and uncle, discourages Ramalaan from seeking revenge to prevent more losses and to set a better example for his nephew. Refusing, Ramalaan kills Vaso and contacts Erfan, telling him to meet at a nearby airfield next to a Sky Faith temple. Erfan heads to the airfield but, unwilling to risk losing her, leaves Yosun behind. Erfan kills the remaining Daavar and finds Ramalaan and Khaalid in the church, with Khaalid wearing an explosive vest. Ramalaan forces Khaalid to take Erfan's pistol, but Khaalid, having realized his mistake and what kind of people his father and uncle really are, refuses to shoot Erfan. Yosun arrives and disarms the vest, while Erfan fights and kills Ramalaan. Erfan and Yosun are left wounded as police storm the temple.

In the aftermath, Yosun and Erfan are imprisoned and Shorena informs Erfan that Nina and her children have been moved to protective custody, but their assets have been frozen. Erfan tells her to give them ع1 million cash, which is hidden under the floorboards in his cabin, and to return to Emmiria. She assures Erfan that their son died believing his father was a hero. Erfan is taken out of prison to meet with the stranger from the beginning, who has come with another job, in return for Erfan's freedom. Erfan says he will not accept it without Yosun, when he sees that the stranger has brought Yosun as well, as the film concludes.

Cast

• Sattar Manesh as Erfan Hayaii, a former EIA Operator turned mercenary
• Aycan Kashani as Yosun Hasim, a mercenary and Erfan's partner
• Haani al-Fahmy as Halil Hasim, Yosun's brother and a member of Yosun and Erfan's crew
• Dominick Lamar Holden as Ramalaan Mousa
• Faadil Minhas as Raafi el-Sabet
• Aanisa Molla as Nina el-Sabet, Shorena's sister, Raafi's wife, and Khaalid and Jaleela's mother
• Badraan Aabid Massoud as Khaalid, Raafi and Nina's teenage son
• Humaira el-Dia as Jaleela, Raafi and Nina's young daughter
• Ali Kharif Zaman as Vaso
• Zahra Balucha as Shorena, Erfan's ex-wife and sister of Nina
• Cyrus Best as the unnamed stranger