I had very high expectations. I mean, what a story? The son of a Hamas leader turned informant was openly talking about his involvement with the Shin Bet! Waw. Unfortunately, The Green Prince didn't deliver. Instead of understanding the psychology of an informant, the reasons for turning against his family so easily, we are left with a recounting of events, that is incomplete in providing us with a full picture of such a political and personal move. Mosab, the informant, gives the impression to be highly disturbed, in need of attention and recognition, and ready to grab any opportunity that would give him such comfort. The way the character was presented offered no depth, or thought-provoking arguments. The handler, Gonen, is the hero, the one who went against the shin-bet, or what he called "his family" to save the Palestinian, his "friend". No further explanation as to why he felt the urge to go against the rules for the informant, and the film-makers were largely satisfied with the "it was my duty" answer, instead of digging further into his personality.
Not a complete fail, but feels like a partial recounting of events, that does not offer any emotional or contextual depth which would have made it one of the year's most astounding story told.
Not a complete fail, but feels like a partial recounting of events, that does not offer any emotional or contextual depth which would have made it one of the year's most astounding story told.