The Engineer (2023) User Reviews

Stinks!

[chrystinad · 3/10 · 18 August 2023]

This film is pretty bad. The actors look as if they are not even trying to act. The story is super slow and seems like it is wasting time just to get the characters to different scenes. There is not much action at all and the action which is on the screen has close ups of the actors faces and a lot of shaking which makes it hard to make out what is going on most of the time. It is a film in which you would not want to watch if you knew it would be of such lack of quality. I would not recommend this movie to anyone I know. The only reason I watched it because the lead actor usually does good work, I am afraid that is no longer the case.

Well, that was a complete mess.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 4/10 · 20 August 2023]

After just finished watching pretty much the exact same filmmakers and cast in the Inside Man that was very impressive for an indie production, this film does a 180 and was shockingly a huge mess. I'm a fan of "based on true events" films, especially when they are filmed effectively like Inside Man which was done right for an indie B-film, but sadly this wasn't one of those. The entire normally comfortable 92 min runtime dragged on and on endlessly, with horrible pacing, lackluster direction that made even the few action scenes boring, and a story that was choppy and convoluted. It's hard to believe it was the same writers and directors that made both films, as they are night and day. It's too bad, this had promise, but it just failed to deliver the goods.

This isn't Fauda !

[Avidviewer-02847 · 4/10 · 19 August 2023]

This doesn't have the script, direction or acting quality of "Fauda". It's very slow in the beginning and bogs down at times. They should have used Hebrew and Arabic throughout with English subtitles instead of jumping between three languages. It improves toward the end.

The insertion of "family drama" turns this from an interesting story to another boring American type police/family drama. I don't care about their family relationships, I turned in to watch a Shin Bet/Sabak operation to find a bomber. There is a reason that Fauda is popular in many countries including Arab ones, it has quality.

Boring, bad action and forgettable

[TheOneThatYouWanted · 2/10 · 18 August 2023]

I know this is a made for streaming kind of film and low budget, but still.. this was sold as an action movie so why is it so boring? The action they do have in it is riddled with jump cuts and shaking camera movements so you can hardly tell what is going on. I know, they do that because this is a low budget film and they have to hide the action because it will look bad if we can actually see a whole body moving at once. Usually you can overlook the lack of action if the plot is good but it is choppy and random. Almost like they wrote the dialogue on set. I'm guessing this was made during the writer's strike.

Who approved this film?

[imdb58327 · 2/10 · 13 January 2024]

Horrible script, acting, casting (some good actors but the synergy was not there). Not much positive to write unfortunately on what is a very good story otherwise. The spin of some rogue actors taking credit for this event is the icing on the cake.

Every detail of this film is just so cringey and there is little to redeem this at all. This could have been slightly improved with a consultant who knows this world and the areas involved but they failed in that regard as well.

Instead of wasting your time on this movie go read the many pieces written on this event in several great books (Ronen Bergman, Yossi Melman, Dan Raviv, and others).

Cheap, pitiful tosh that shouda been topical & interesting... but is just cheap

[danieljfarthing · 2/10 · 17 October 2023]

Supposed true tale "The Engineer" shoulda been topical & interesting, but its production standards (under director Danny A Abeckaser), writing (Kosta Kondilopoulos) & acting are SO bad it fails completely. In 1995 Yahya Ayyash (Adam Haloon) masterminded horrific Hamas terrorist bombings across Israel - so was hunted in Gaza by Shin Bet agents (led by Emile Hirsch (of the tanked career)) and an ex-Mossad hit squad (led by Angel Bonanni - funded by US Sentaor Robert Davi who wants to personlly kill Ayyash to avenge his daughter who died in the attacks (true story huh?)). This cheap, pitiful tosh is certainly NOT another "Zero Dark Thirty".

two words : stale and boring

[ahmadrafay-62038 · 1/10 · 23 September 2023]

Watching a complete mess of a movie , felt like i watched some kids with a handheld camera shooting a movie.

This is the absolute pinnacle of bad story, bad dialogue, bad editing, bad plot.. I mean, I'm saying 'bad' like there actually is any of these elements within the film. The editing makes no sense, it seems randomly cut with continuity errors.

This movie is just incredible that it was made, I didn't think it was possible to make a film so bad. It's like it's a new genre, just a bad movie. Sub plots get brought up out of no where in this movie and never get brought up again. Characters get brought up and again never mentioned. The script, story, characters, editing, setting, everything was just wrong with this movie.

Disappointing Encounter with "The Engineer"

[muhannad20 · 1/10 · 20 August 2023]

As a movie enthusiast, I was genuinely looking forward to watching "The Engineer," but sadly, my anticipation was met with profound disappointment. The film failed to live up to its potential on multiple fronts.

First and foremost, the storyline lacked coherence and depth. The plot seemed disjointed, with characters making decisions that were neither explained nor justified. This left me feeling disconnected from the narrative, struggling to empathize with the characters' predicaments.

Moreover, the performances of the cast were underwhelming. The actors appeared to be merely going through the motions, failing to convey the emotional nuances necessary to engage the audience. It's disheartening to witness talented individuals deliver lackluster performances that hindered the film's ability to make a lasting impact.

In conclusion, "The Engineer" is a disappointing cinematic endeavor that fails to deliver on multiple fronts. From its disjointed plot to lackluster performances and subpar production quality, the film falls short of expectations. Couldn't help but feel a sense of dissatisfaction throughout the viewing. It's unfortunate that a potentially intriguing concept was executed so poorly, leaving me with an overwhelming sense of dislike for this particular cinematic venture.

Despicably bad

[newrichmond · 3/10 · 27 December 2023]

Wow this sounded interesting but what a let down. This movie has Robert Davi and that's it. Everything else about it has the look and feel of a bad student film. Absolutely ridiculous. A complete embarrassment to the entertainment industry. The direction is just awful and most of the acting, Robert Davi excluded, is dreadful. And not even fun and campy bad. Unwatchable bad. Coulda been a good movie but it isn't. Effects, direction, even the score is a joke. Without question one of the worst movies I have ever seen and possibly the worst movie I've seen. Zero chemistry between the characters and a cast of stereotypes right out of central casting.

A disgustingly shameful disgrace to cinema

[getthedamnbell · 1/10 · 27 December 2023]

In terms of the film's execution, every aspect is sub par. It's almost as if the supposed filmmakers decided that when it came to standards it was Opposite Day. The most boring scenes imaginable with sound track that sounds like the world is ending any second but nothing happens. It's just a boring scene. Aside from mechanics the portrayal of this story is pure nonsense. The effects, pure cheese. Sharp New York cheddar. There isn't any acting to speak of. But overall the filmmaking just sucks. Total amateur hour. Netflix keeps its free fall going. Just a bunch of professional victim nonsense. F-

How to Engineer a bad movie

[old52 · 2/10 · 27 December 2023]

"The Engineer" disappoints on multiple fronts, stumbling through a poorly executed narrative that leaves audiences questioning its direction. The film's attempt to portray accuracy falls flat, as dubious choices compromise the integrity of its storytelling. Character development feels rushed and lacks depth, leaving viewers disconnected from the protagonists' struggles. Moreover, the cinematography fails to elevate the weak plot, with scenes often appearing disjointed and lacking cohesion. The film's supposed authenticity in depicting technical aspects comes across as contrived, diminishing its credibility. Overall, "The Engineer" falls short of expectations, delivering a lackluster cinematic experience marred by questionable accuracy and subpar execution.

If you like Fauda, just watch Fauda. This is nothing like it (in a bad way).

[J0SCH · 1/10 · 27 December 2023]

The premise of this movie was fascinating, and unlike fictional Fauda, was based around real events not merely inspired by them. That said, they somehow managed to drop the ball in spite of this with terrible writing, budget movie production value, and awful acting. There were times while watching when I was wondering if it was all intentional, to give the vibe of a low budget action film from the 80s or 90s, but that would have been too clever. Really wanted to like this but it was unbearable... an absolute waste of 90 minutes. This could have been so much more... I have no idea how they messed this up so badly.

So disappointing...

[terrielynncarpenter · 3/10 · 28 December 2023]

I love Emile Hirsch and he was outstanding in Into The Wild, Lone Survivor and Alpha Dog...but this film was so poorly done and characters were not cast appropriately. Emile looked like a fish out of water trying to portray this character. I would expect so much more from him because I know he's talented. The acting was some of the worst, most lackluster and boring that I've seen to date. I could not even finish the movie. I fell asleep halfway through and I never fall asleep watching movies. Poorly filmed, poorly directed, poorly executed. This story had potential to be interesting and gripping .... but it failed miserably. I would not recommend.

Don't forget waste your time

[hsem-04280 · 1/10 · 3 January 2024]

The movie was marred by a plethora of unrealistic events and an abundance of blatant lies. The plot seemed to defy any semblance of logic, leaving me utterly perplexed and disconnected from the narrative. It's disheartening when a film relies on such contrived elements, making it challenging to suspend disbelief.

I found the movie to be filled with disrespectful scenes that not only lacked tact but also detracted from the overall viewing experience. The filmmakers seemed to prioritize shock value over meaningful storytelling, leaving me with a sense of discomfort and disappointment.

Wowoooooo!!!!!

Disappointed

[skinberg · 3/10 · 17 January 2024]

I don't get how they failed so badly with this movie. They took a bunch of brilliant actors who I have seen excel in other shows (such as Fauda) and made this movie that just doesn't work. I think the biggest mistake was having everyone (Israelis, arabs) speaking in English to each other. It takes away so much authenticity from the movie. They should have just let everyone speak in their own languages and that's it. The way they speak when it's in English just feels so fake and takes away from the acting. There's minimal character development, too little action and you don't get invested in any of the characters. This had SO much potential but utterly failed. I love movies and shows in this genre and couldn't believe the other reviews but they were spot on sadly :(

So much wasted potential....

[suchaditz · 2/10 · 18 February 2024]

This movie was painful to watch. Every aspect of it was poorly done. How strange it was to watch a film about Palestinian and Israeli people who spoke English so well their accents were nonexistent. I speak fluent English, Hebrew and Arabic believe me when I say, even the hardcoded subtitles were poorly done, most often just an extremely lose translation.

The story itself has so much potential. Unfortunately it was poorly written, poorly cast, poorly acted, poorly directed. Anyone associated with this dribble clearly did it for the pay cheque and put zero effort or heart into it.

I gave it 2 stars for the scenery because I love the country but even then there were flaws, for example an old bus from the era against a modern business front.

This film was a real shonda 😢

Yawn.

[rebeccakitts · 1/10 · 3 January 2024]

Seriously, that war movie was a complete letdown. The plot was all over the place, jumping from one confusing scene to another. The characters felt like cardboard cutouts, lacking any depth or development. And don't even get me started on the special effects! They were so cheesy and unrealistic, it was hard to take anything seriously. The dialogue was cringeworthy, filled with clichés and uninspiring lines. Overall, it felt like a lazy attempt to cash in on the war movie genre without putting any real effort into storytelling or authenticity. Save your popcorn and please dont waste time on this film! 👎🍿🤢

I enjoyed it!

[snorka2 · 10/10 · 21 August 2023]

This pulse-pounding action-thriller is based on true events, about the hunt for the most notorious Palestinian bomb-builder of the mid-90s, the cunning killer nicknamed "The Engineer." He was the guy who built the vest-bombs that Hamas suicide-bombers wore onto buses and into Israel's public places, I actually remember experiencing these horrors as a kid.

It was made pretty good with fine actors. Action and drama were definitely provided. If you liked "Fauda" and "Homeland" you should watch this too.

The middle east provides Israel with action on a daily basis, this is a pretty good taste of our everyday reality.

Good movie based on true story

[noysh-37758 · 10/10 · 25 December 2023]

An engaging portrayal of a true story, 'The Engineer' impressively features actors from 'FAUDA,' offering an authentic glimpse into Israeli reality. It's a compelling narrative that resonates deeply, showcasing the complexities of the region. To those quick to judge without watching, this movie offers an insightful perspective. It's a must-watch, especially for those interested in understanding the nuances of the situation in Israel.

Through its gripping portrayal and talented cast from 'FAUDA,' 'The Engineer' authentically captures the Israeli reality. A powerful narrative that deserves attention and viewing, especially for those seeking a deeper understanding.

A very interesting film about the hunt for the notorious Palestinian bomb maker Yahya Ayash.

[pandathecat · 10/10 · 21 August 2023]

A very interesting film about the hunt for 'the engineer', the notorious Palestinian bomb maker Yahya Ayash.

The fast-paced film follows the Shin Bet's hunt and targeted killing of the notorious Palestinian bomb maker Yahya Ayash ("The Engineer").

Skillfully interweaving documentary-style archival footage of key traumatic and heartbreaking events from 1993-1996, the film recreates the suicide bus bombings using live broadcasts combined with the latest filmmaking technology.

The film tells the story of hunting down that terrorist mastermind through the eyes of Shin Bet agents, including the super-secret Mistaarvim unit that infiltrated Gaza in a high-risk effort to track down Ayash.

All in all, a great movie. Highly recommended.

interesting and thrilling, describes the historical events well

[olepsky · 9/10 · 4 January 2024]

The movie describes the events going at that time quite well - frequent bus bombings in Israel performed by Palestinian suicide religious fanatics and bomb makers, taught by a Palestinian man known as the Engineer. It is interesting and thrilling to watch how they trying to get this mass murderer. The only thing I didn't like is the conclusion stating that the violence continues despite everyone (Israelis and Palestinians) wanting peace - clearly not everyone as the movie shows.

The actors play well, the 2 main characters are interesting, the story is captivating. The tragedy of innocent civilians in Israel who happened to take the wrong bus (with a suicide bomber in it) is shown very well - I lived in Israel at the time and remember how it felt.

Liked It

[grahamjonesjr · 8/10 · 30 January 2024]

Perhaps not a great film. But I enjoyed it. It seemed oddly realistic. The pacing was not Bourne series or Fauda. But a little more believable because of that. The acting seemed natural as well. Great-looking actresses. A friend who had been in the IDF told me he loves Fauda, just like the Americans. But to say it's realistic is like saying Lethal Weapon is just like being in the LAPD. Even Shin Bet doesn't get to shoot up the Territories, go back to the base, play guitar and have a cook out like Fauda. Well... maybe they do now. But not back then. And when is Robert Davi ever not super-solid as an actor? Glad I gave The Engineer a shot. Recommend.

Super hit Movie

[ranglongchung · 9/10 · 10 April 2024]

Best movie I have watched 2023! No doubt. Massive city on wheels, with weapons and people so mind controlled that it's as if they were watching a football match when their own city takes down a smaller city to collect for fuel. Reminds me a bit of borderlands with the wasteland type theme, with dishonored with all the metallic and rusted metal gears left n right. The story it self, really good, I don't even know who the main character was at the middle of it, as a lot of the characters could have easily had Thier own story to tell. I mean, coming from someone as myself who just rewatches trailer park boys every day because I feel like no other movie/ sequel compares to the old classic such as, pirates of the Caribbean to indian Jones, that I find it hard being drawn into a movie, especially the beginning. But with mortal engines, that's not to say, as it drew me into the opening scene straight away. Brilliant, would love to see a part two or some sort of remaster version. Absolutely Mind blowing visuals with the size comparison of the city's next to other city's, just crazy.