The Angel
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquers and occupies large areas of land including the Sinai Peninsula (Golan Heights and West Bank also fell to Israel, but those didn't belong to Egypt) which…
The Angel
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquers and occupies large areas of land including the Sinai Peninsula (Golan Heights and West Bank also fell to Israel, but those didn't belong to Egypt) which then (and now) belonged to Egypt. Arabs want their land back as Palestinians plan terrorist attacks on Israel. On September 3, 1973, Ashraf Marwan (Marwan Kenzari) meets Arab terrorists outside Rome International Airport, with a missile launcher that he smuggled into Italy in his suitcase. He tells the terrorists that he must leave immediately, as he is an Egyptian diplomat who cannot be discovered at the place of the attack, while the insurgents aim the launcher at a commercial airliner that is heading to Israel. Three years earlier, in 1970, Ashraf lives and studies in London with his wife, Mona (Maisa Abd Elhadi), the daughter of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (Waleed Zuaiter), and their son. Ashraf disagrees with Nasser on how to proceed in the Israeli conflict and suggests that Nasser prevent further bloodshed and try a diplomatic solution with Israel, with the US as a peace-broker. However, Nasser and his men fear this will lose them the support of the USSR. Realising the USSR is on its last legs, Ashraf insists Egypt cuts its ties with the Soviets and align more with the US. Nasser rebukes Ashraf, and afterwards urges Mona to divorce her husband, which Ashraf overhears. Angry and embarrassed, Ashraf is further humiliated when he finds out that Nasser, on whom they are financially dependent, is having him followed (Through Sami Sharaf (Slimane Dazi), Minister for Presidential Affairs under Nasser) when he goes out with friends, causing Mona to worry that Ashraf is having an affair with actress Diana Ellis (Hannah Ware). Frustrated, Ashraf decides to call the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Michael Comay, to share important information. When the embassy refuses to connect him to Comay, Ashraf hangs up. Soon after, President Nasser dies of a heart attack, and Ashraf and his family are recalled to Cairo. Vice President Anwar Sadat (Sasson Gabai) becomes the next president of Egypt. Sadat is more inclined towards aligning with the US and alienates many ministers (Including Sami) from Nasser's regime, who resign. Ashraf wins Sadat's trust by uncovering high-level corruption (against Sami) within the Egyptian government, and slowly begins to climb the political ladder, eventually becoming an important political player in Egypt. His family life suffers from his political career although Ashraf finds time to read his son a bed-time story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Sami is imprisoned and visited by Babak (Mounir Margoum), a friend of Sami Sharaf who stays loyal to him after his imprisonment Back in London in 1971, Mossad agents finally reach out to Ashraf, playing him a recording of his previous call to the Israeli embassy. Ashraf meets his Mossad handler, Alex (Toby Kebbell), and begins to sell his country's secrets to the Israeli government. The information that Ashraf provides is initially reliable and Alex and Ashraf develop a mutual rapport, with Ashraf being code-named "the angel." Sadat wants to win the lost land back to remain in office. He is afraid of a coup, if he doesn't. Ashraf tries to talk him out of it, but Sadat continues to plan an attack with his generals. Eventually, however, Ashraf warns the Israelis on two occasions that Egypt will launch a military invasion, which never comes to pass. This puts a severe strain on his relationship with Mossad, who start doubting Ashraf's trustworthiness. Mossad kidnaps Ashraf in London and roughs him up, but Ashraf pleads with Mossad to start talks with Sadat about returning the Sinai, so that war can be prevented. Mossad roughs up Ashraf's family in Egypt to send a message (but this attack was planned by Babak, who wanted to find the dirt on Ashraf). Meanwhile Sadat wants Ashraf to convince Gaddafi to let Egypt use Libya's oil reserves. Ashraf meets Gaddafi and creates a rapport with him. When Israel shoots down a Libyan commercial plane filled with civilians, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (Tsahi Halevi) wants vengeance, but Sadat is not willing to attack civilians. Knowing it will anger Gaddafi and the other Arab nations if Egypt does not support Libya, Ashraf comes up with a ploy to stabilize the situation. He goes to Gaddafi to pledge Egypt's support but makes sure that their retaliatory attack is not successful. Back at Rome International Airport on September 3, 1973, Ashraf removes a pin from the missile launcher before giving it to the terrorists, making it ineffective. When the Israeli commercial airliner takes off, the launcher does not fire. Italian authorities, having been notified about the terrorists by Ashraf, apprehend them. Having regained Mossad's trust, Ashraf informs Alex and Mossad chief Zvi Zamir (Ori Pfeffer) about an imminent Egyptian invasion of Israel on Yom Kippur. However, Israel dismisses the warning as yet another false alarm, like the previous two warnings. It is then revealed that this was Ashraf's plan all along, inspired by the fable of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. Realizing that peace could only be achieved through diplomacy, not war, but also realizing Israel would not agree to peace talks while they had the military upper hand, Ashraf decided to pave the way for a short but successful surprise attack on Israel. A military stalemate between Israel and Egypt ensues in the Yom Kippur War, peace talks begin and the two countries finally broker a peace treaty which heralds a period of lasting peace and sees both Sadat and Menachem Begin receive the Nobel Peace Prize. At the same time, Ashraf's marriage to Mona ends as Mona, kept in the dark about Ashraf's plan, believes his frequent trips abroad and continued friendship with Diana Ellis - in actuality strategic parts of his mission - confirm that he is having an affair. Years later, Alex meets Ashraf, gifts him a copy of Aesop's Fables and informs him that he has recognized the Boy Who Cried Wolf strategy. Ashraf responds that no matter what happened, if peace came out of it, everyone is better off. An epilogue states that Ashraf died mysteriously in 2007 when he fell from the balcony of his London flat. He is the only man to be recognized as a national hero in both Israel and Egypt.
The Angel
Action,Biography,Drama
Film Details
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquers and occupies large areas of land including the Sinai Peninsula (Golan Heights and West Bank also fell to Israel, but those didn't belong to Egypt) which then (and now) belonged to Egypt. Arabs want their land back as Palestinians plan terrorist attacks on Israel. On September 3, 1973, Ashraf Marwan (Marwan Kenzari) meets Arab terrorists outside Rome International Airport, with a missile launcher that he smuggled into Italy in his suitcase.
He tells the terrorists that he must leave immediately, as he is an Egyptian diplomat who cannot be discovered at the place of the attack, while the insurgents aim the launcher at a commercial airliner that is heading to Israel. Three years earlier, in 1970, Ashraf lives and studies in London with his wife, Mona (Maisa Abd Elhadi), the daughter of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (Waleed Zuaiter), and their son. Ashraf disagrees with Nasser on how to proceed in the Israeli conflict and suggests that Nasser prevent further bloodshed and try a diplomatic solution with Israel, with the US as a peace-broker.
However, Nasser and his men fear this will lose them the support of the USSR. Realising the USSR is on its last legs, Ashraf insists Egypt cuts its ties with the Soviets and align more with the US. Nasser rebukes Ashraf, and afterwards urges Mona to divorce her husband, which Ashraf overhears.
Angry and embarrassed, Ashraf is further humiliated when he finds out that Nasser, on whom they are financially dependent, is having him followed (Through Sami Sharaf (Slimane Dazi), Minister for Presidential Affairs under Nasser) when he goes out with friends, causing Mona to worry that Ashraf is having an affair with actress Diana Ellis (Hannah Ware). Frustrated, Ashraf decides to call the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Michael Comay, to share important information. When the embassy refuses to connect him to Comay, Ashraf hangs up.
Soon after, President Nasser dies of a heart attack, and Ashraf and his family are recalled to Cairo. Vice President Anwar Sadat (Sasson Gabai) becomes the next president of Egypt. Sadat is more inclined towards aligning with the US and alienates many ministers (Including Sami) from Nasser's regime, who resign.
Ashraf wins Sadat's trust by uncovering high-level corruption (against Sami) within the Egyptian government, and slowly begins to climb the political ladder, eventually becoming an important political player in Egypt. His family life suffers from his political career although Ashraf finds time to read his son a bed-time story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Sami is imprisoned and visited by Babak (Mounir Margoum), a friend of Sami Sharaf who stays loyal to him after his imprisonment Back in London in 1971, Mossad agents finally reach out to Ashraf, playing him a recording of his previous call to the Israeli embassy.
Ashraf meets his Mossad handler, Alex (Toby Kebbell), and begins to sell his country's secrets to the Israeli government. The information that Ashraf provides is initially reliable and Alex and Ashraf develop a mutual rapport, with Ashraf being code-named "the angel." Sadat wants to win the lost land back to remain in office. He is afraid of a coup, if he doesn't.
Ashraf tries to talk him out of it, but Sadat continues to plan an attack with his generals. Eventually, however, Ashraf warns the Israelis on two occasions that Egypt will launch a military invasion, which never comes to pass. This puts a severe strain on his relationship with Mossad, who start doubting Ashraf's trustworthiness.
Mossad kidnaps Ashraf in London and roughs him up, but Ashraf pleads with Mossad to start talks with Sadat about returning the Sinai, so that war can be prevented. Mossad roughs up Ashraf's family in Egypt to send a message (but this attack was planned by Babak, who wanted to find the dirt on Ashraf). Meanwhile Sadat wants Ashraf to convince Gaddafi to let Egypt use Libya's oil reserves.
Ashraf meets Gaddafi and creates a rapport with him. When Israel shoots down a Libyan commercial plane filled with civilians, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (Tsahi Halevi) wants vengeance, but Sadat is not willing to attack civilians. Knowing it will anger Gaddafi and the other Arab nations if Egypt does not support Libya, Ashraf comes up with a ploy to stabilize the situation.
He goes to Gaddafi to pledge Egypt's support but makes sure that their retaliatory attack is not successful. Back at Rome International Airport on September 3, 1973, Ashraf removes a pin from the missile launcher before giving it to the terrorists, making it ineffective. When the Israeli commercial airliner takes off, the launcher does not fire.
Italian authorities, having been notified about the terrorists by Ashraf, apprehend them. Having regained Mossad's trust, Ashraf informs Alex and Mossad chief Zvi Zamir (Ori Pfeffer) about an imminent Egyptian invasion of Israel on Yom Kippur. However, Israel dismisses the warning as yet another false alarm, like the previous two warnings.
It is then revealed that this was Ashraf's plan all along, inspired by the fable of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. Realizing that peace could only be achieved through diplomacy, not war, but also realizing Israel would not agree to peace talks while they had the military upper hand, Ashraf decided to pave the way for a short but successful surprise attack on Israel. A military stalemate between Israel and Egypt ensues in the Yom Kippur War, peace talks begin and the two countries finally broker a peace treaty which heralds a period of lasting peace and sees both Sadat and Menachem Begin receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
At the same time, Ashraf's marriage to Mona ends as Mona, kept in the dark about Ashraf's plan, believes his frequent trips abroad and continued friendship with Diana Ellis - in actuality strategic parts of his mission - confirm that he is having an affair. Years later, Alex meets Ashraf, gifts him a copy of Aesop's Fables and informs him that he has recognized the Boy Who Cried Wolf strategy. Ashraf responds that no matter what happened, if peace came out of it, everyone is better off.
An epilogue states that Ashraf died mysteriously in 2007 when he fell from the balcony of his London flat. He is the only man to be recognized as a national hero in both Israel and Egypt..