Damascus Cover

Berk's movie is too plodding and predictable to generate anything more than a modest level of suspense; worse, it lacks enough excitement to qualify even as instantly forgettable popcorn entertainment.

Features the usual political-thriller tropes - tough but haunted protagonist, zigzag of foreign locales, rival spies, arcane twists, shifting allegiances, wedged-in romance - without adding much that feels unique or exciting.

Overstuffed with groaningly familiar espionage tropes.

At least the film looks good.

On the surface, [Cover] had a lot going for it: from the cast to the art direction to the verisimilitude of long-lived hostilities. But, particularly in the shadow of the incredible humanitarian crisis, the film felt like a series of missed opportunities.

...an acceptably tense spy thriller...Considering this indie was shot on a $5 million budget, it's well done with atmospheric locations shots.

... a James Bond or Jason Bourne wannabe that lacks suspense and becomes more tedious with each eye-rolling twist.

1989-set spy thriller has violence and sex.

Damascus Cover feels routine.

There's not enough gas in the tank here, finding star Jonathan Rhys Meyers doing all the heavy lifting when it comes time to add some intensity to the comatose effort.

Berk tries to capture the inanities of the Middle East: how both sides have to go through the motions of cat and mouse, constantly switching who's the feline and who's the rodent, but you can't care when the characters are this one-dimensional.

The only thing anyone will remember about Damascus Cover is that it marks the final on-screen appearance of the now deceased tremendous actor John Hurt