Jessica Kiang If the unmarked enemy aircraft, mirrored visors and carefully evasive language of Joseph Kosinksi’s “Top Gun: Maverick” tell us anything, it’s that Hollywood has learned to avoid political specifics in the delivery of grandstanding blockbuster entertainment.
So one can be forgiven for coming to “Rebel” with hackles raised and offence-o-meters on red alert, as it milks Hollywoodish action-movie thrills (and even a few surreal musical numbers) from the highly charged scenario of one young Belgian’s recruitment into a Syrian ISIS cell.
But there’s an unabashed sincerity in how directing team Adil & Bilall (“Bad Boys For Life,” the upcoming “Batgirl”) realize their foolhardy ambition to make a serious-minded cautionary tale in the guise of a flashy thrill-ride.
You might even start to root for “Rebel,” rather like you would a circus elephant can-canning across a minefield, and managing with surprising dexterity to go quite some distance without blowing itself to bits.
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