Backstabbing for Beginners

{{Infobox film

|name = Backstabbing for Beginners

|image = Backstabbing for Beginners poster.png

|caption = Theatrical release poster

|director = Per Fly

|producer = {{unbulleted list|Lars Knudsen|Nikolaj Vibe Michelsen|Jay Van Hoy|Malene Blenkov}}

|writer = {{unbulleted list|Daniel Pyne|Per Fly}}

|based_on = {{based on|Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy|Michael Soussan}}

|starring = {{unbulleted list|Theo James|Ben Kingsley|Belçim Bilgin|Jacqueline Bisset}}

|music = Todor Kobakov

|cinematography = Brendan Steacy

|editing = Morten Giese

|studio = {{unbulleted list|Creative Alliance|Eyeworks Scandi Fiction|Hoylake Capital|Parts and Labor|Scythia Films|Waterstone Entertainment}}

|distributor = {{Plainlist|

}}

|released = {{Film date|2018|1|18|Denmark|2018|4|27|United States|df=y}}

|runtime = 104 minutes

|country = {{unbulleted list|Canada|Denmark|United States}}

|language = English

|budget = $8 million

|gross = $367,000{{cite web|title=Backstabbing for Beginners (2018)|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5153288/|website=Box Office Mojo|publisher=IMDb|date=2018|access-date=28 July 2022}}

}}

Backstabbing for Beginners is a 2018 political thriller film directed and co-written by Per Fly, and based on the memoirs of Michael Soussan.{{cite web|url=https://www.bipr.eu/eventprofile.cfm/idevent%3DDAEC41F4-DBDA-EA89-2CB2C52A5945A7A0/Michael-Soussan-Backstabbing-for-Beginners-A-Crash-Course-in-International-Diplomacy%26zdyx%3D1|title=Backstabbing for Beginners: A Crash Course in International Diplomacy by Michael Soussan|website=The Bologna Institute for Policy Research|access-date=28 May 2018|archive-date=29 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529130022/https://www.bipr.eu/eventprofile.cfm/idevent%3DDAEC41F4-DBDA-EA89-2CB2C52A5945A7A0/Michael-Soussan-Backstabbing-for-Beginners-A-Crash-Course-in-International-Diplomacy%26zdyx%3D1|url-status=dead}} It follows the real life corruption scandal in the UN Oil-for-Food Programme, and stars Theo James and Ben Kingsley.

Plot

The film follows Michael Sullivan, the son of US State Department diplomat who died when Michael was young. Michael leaves a lucrative job at a large bank and lands his dream job as a diplomat with the United Nations (UN) in the fall of 2002. He is assigned to work as an assistant to Under-Secretary-General Costa "Pasha" Passaris, the head of the Oil-for-Food Programme, operated since 1995 to help the citizens of Iraq without allowing the oil sales to boost Saddam Hussein and his regime. On his first visit to Baghdad, local UN chief diplomat Christina Dupre makes it clear to Pasha that she is disturbed by the corruption in the programme, and plans to publish a report voicing her concerns. This is the first Michael hears of the problem, and over the course of the film he uncovers a major corruption scandal, whereby payoffs and bribes diverted $20 billion of the funds away from food and into the hands of companies, banks, officials of various governments, and officials of the UN itself, possibly including Pasha, so that Hussein can pocket over $1 billion of the funds.

Michael falls in love with Nashim, a UN worker in Baghdad who reveals aspects of the corruption to Michael, while she covertly works to advance the cause of her own people, the Kurds of northern Iraq. Pasha tries to teach Michael about the realities of diplomacy in a world filled with corruption, highlighting that $60 billion does make it into buying food and medicine for the people of Iraq. As more of the people around him are killed, including Nashim and Dupre, and as the corruption continues even after the programme was de jure terminated in 2003, following the Coalition Invasion of Iraq, a dejected Michael gathers evidence and takes it to The Wall Street Journal.

Cast

Theo James as Michael
Ben Kingsley as Costa Pasaris, a.k.a. Pasha (fashioned after Benon Sevan, the actual head of the United Nations' Oil-for-Food Programme)
Belçim Bilgin as Nashim
Jacqueline Bisset as Dupre
Rossif Sutherland as Trevor
Rachel Wilson as Lily
Brian Markinson as Rasnetsov
Aidan Devine as Cutter
Daniela Lavender as Ruth Zekar Kal
Peshang Rad as Hassan
Kardo Razazi as Abhek

Production

The film was a Canada, United States and Denmark co-production.{{cite web|author=Copenhagen Film Fund|title=Backstabbing for Beginners |url=http://cphfilmfund.com/en/portfolio_page/backstabbing-for-beginners-2/|website=cphfilmfund.com|date=17 May 2016 |access-date=10 March 2021}} Josh Hutcherson was originally set to star in the movie but dropped out and was replaced by Theo James.{{cite web |last=Evry |first=Max |date=21 January 2016 |title=Theo James Replaces Josh Hutcherson in Backstabbing for Beginners |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/649511-theo-james-replaces-josh-hutcherson-in-backstabbing-for-beginners |access-date=10 March 2021 |website=comingsoon.net}} Filming started in March 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco,{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/jacqueline-bisset-backstabbing-for-beginners-1201721164/|title=Jacqueline Bisset Joins Thriller 'Backstabbing for Beginners'|last=McNary|first=Dave|work=Variety|date=2 March 2016|access-date=10 March 2021}} with other scenes shot in Copenhagen in April 2016.{{cite web|last=Carstensen|first=Ivar|title=Hollywood Stars Coming to Denmark to Film New Movie |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/hollywoodstjerner-kommer-til-danmark-for-at-indspille-ny-film|website=DR.dk|date=22 February 2016 |access-date=10 March 2021 |language=Danish}} The production budget was $8 million.

Release

In June 2017, A24 and DirecTV Cinema acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/a24-directv-take-backstabbing-beginners-theo-james-ben-kingsley-1011079|title=A24, DirecTV Take 'Backstabbing for Beginners' With Theo James, Ben Kingsley (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Rebecca |last=Ford |date=7 June 2017 |access-date=10 March 2021}} The film was released in Denmark on 18 January 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.yourdanishlife.dk/conspiracy-corruption-bravery-and-a-dash-of-romance-dont-miss-the-new-movie-backstabbing-for-beginners/|title=Conspiracy, corruption, bravery and a dash of romance- don't miss the new movie "Backstabbing For Beginners"|website=Your Danish Life|date=18 January 2018|access-date=10 March 2021}} The film was released through DirecTV Cinema on 22 March 2018, before receiving a limited release in the United States on 27 April 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/murder-the-mafia-and-political-corruption-abound-in-backstabbing-for-beginners-trailer-exclusive|title=Murder, the Mafia and Political Corruption Abound in 'Backstabbing for Beginners' Trailer (Exclusive)|website=Entertainment Tonight|first=Josh|last=Boone|date=20 March 2018|access-date=10 March 2021}}{{cite web|title=Backstabbing for Beginners |url=https://www.dfi.dk/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/dobbeltspil |website=Danish Film Institute |access-date=10 March 2021 |language=Danish}}

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, Backstabbing for Beginners got {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} approval from {{RT data|count}} reviews, and an average rating of 4.7/10.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/backstabbing_for_beginners|title=Backstabbing for Beginners|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} Review aggregator Metacritic gave the film 48 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/backstabbing-for-beginners |title=Backstabbing for Beginners|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=10 March 2021}}

Frank Scheck called the film "an inert would-be thriller".{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/backstabbing-beginners-1106077|last=Scheck|first=Frank|title='Backstabbing for Beginners': Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=27 April 2018|access-date=10 March 2021}} Jessica Kiang of the Variety Magazine criticized the "romantic subplot, complete with heavy-breathing sex scene, and some of the more cloak-and-dagger-y intrigue show", which she saw as "Hollywood-izing a complicated and tragic real-world situation".{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/backstabbing-for-beginners-review-1202733485/|title=Film Review: 'Backstabbing for Beginners'|last=Kiang|first=Jessicsa|magazine=Variety|date=23 March 2018}} Michael Rechtshaffen of Los Angeles Times said that "despite delivering few actual thrills, the fact-based Backstabbing for Beginners qualifies as an intelligent, well-crafted political thriller".{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-backstabbing-for-beginners-review-20180426-story.html|last=Rechtshaffen|first=Michael|title=Review: U.N. intrigue and corruption in 'Backstabbing for Beginners'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=26 April 2018|access-date=10 March 2021}}