The Jerusalem File (1972)

The theory: MGM is hiding this movie due to its conflictive and controversial nature while dealing with the themes of Israel/Palestine on-going conflicts, or maybe because there's always issues regarding legal copyrights with soundtrack or something else. The practice/real thing: MGM is hiding this movie because of its corny, soap-operish presentation, a very amateurish style that doesn't need to get to the surface to new audiences. I've found this somewhere and out on a whim, decided to give it a try, the cast was good and the story seemed interesting. It wasn't.

"The Jerusalem File" has an American hero, the student David (Bruce Davison), caught in a strange intrigue between Israelis and Palestinians a little after the Arab-Israeli Six Day War. While in Jerusalem, David escapes from a terrorist attack on one of his Arab friends, a man who has an involvement with some counter-revolutionary groups. Detained by the chief of police (Donald Pleasance) who wants to get more details about this Arab friend and stop with the killings, and followed with suspicion by his teacher (Nicol Williamson), David finds himself caught between not only those two forces but also by the mysterious Barak (Yair Rubin), a Jewish rebel who wants to meet David's friend and establish some peace talk between both sides of the conflict. Problem is: David doesn't know much about this man. Is Barak telling the truth or he's plotting against the Arabs with his help?

John Flynn makes of "The Jerusalem File" a tiring and almost irrelevant picture that doesn't have a message, lacks in ideas and lacks in political content, doesn't take any side and confuses the viewer from time to time. If the sake of entertainment is what counts, then this movie is certainly lost in limbo cause it doesn't hold that string for too long, creating unnecessary moments (the romance between David and Nurit, his colleague, played by Dana Halprin);~wastes good opportunities to make (at least) a decent thriller; and the great Raoul Coutard's cinematography is just a lazy work that ruins any possibility of setting a mood for a movie that ends up being poorly captured, under developed, a true B movie with no redeeming qualities. Poor in suspense and poor in development, sequences far away from being memorable. And the downbeat ending (almost climatic but quite realistic) reveals a lot about the eternal affairs between both Palestine and Israel trying to solve their differences and reach for the peace, with the U.S. wanting to intervene but watching from afar (in reality, choosing a side, which is different from what the movie proposes). The invisible enemies always get their way in the end.

Won't say bad, but mostly weak, "The Jerusalem File" worths a view because of the commendable performances of Davison, Williamson and Pleasance; the presence of Dana Halprin, her only film appearance after "Zabriskie Point". Besides them, almost nothing works. Keep on hiding, MGM. 5/10