Backstabbing for Beginners

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Backstabbing for Beginners

R

2018

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Michael, a young United Nations employee, travels to Iraq with his mentor, who wants to show him how successful the UN's Oil-for-Food Program has been. When Michael gets a deeper look at the organization, he unveils a corruption conspiracy in which officials -- both inside and outside the UN -- are skimming billions off the top of the aid meant for the Iraqi people.

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Critics Consensus

Backstabbing for Beginners turns the complex intrigue of a fascinating, real life scandal, into a lifeless and dry slog that not even a scenery-chewing Ben Kingsley can enliven.

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Chandler Levack

Globe and Mail

May 4, 2018

1/4

Whatever potential was evident in Soussan's source material is wasted on empty clichs and spoiler-alert casting.

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Bruce DeMara

Toronto Star

May 3, 2018

1.5/4

Great title. Too bad what follows doesn't have the same insouciant charm.

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Rex Reed

Observer

Apr 30, 2018

2/4

It involves so much internecine crime that it would be hard to understand under any circumstances, but this film is a drier head-scratcher than it needs to be.

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Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

Jul 20, 2019

1.5/5

Takes an unsexy geopolitical scandal and makes it even more drab.

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Jason Best

Movie Talk

Mar 11, 2019

2/5

This is a fascinating, outrage-provoking story but director Per Fly's bid to turn it into a cloak-and-dagger thriller falls disappointingly flat.

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Aug 27, 2018

2/5

Backstabbing for Beginners doesn't convey the complexities of this scandal nor the troubled, compromised humanity of its characters.

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Dana A

@uhmanoaprof Jan 7, 2026

Like some others, I don't understand why this film has such low ratings. My hunch is that we've become jaded by spy movies with hyper-action, boodshed, and sex. Films that tell the truth about the way we are as a specieis - about how hard it is to do good in this world are a hard watch. But, they are essential to holding on to some part of our better angels. I love historical non-fiction because I learn as I'm entertained. The acting and the cinematography were solid and Kingsley's portrayal of Pasha was, as one would expect, superb. I highly recommend this film despite "the wisdom of the crowd."

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Sean M

@orangecat Sep 15, 2025

Can’t understand why this movie doesn’t have a higher rating. It’s a genre flick of course - international diplomacy and subterfuge isn’t for everyone but the story and acting was great as was the scenery and cinematography.

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Stoner J

@Stoner Aug 17, 2025

A decent governmental spy thriller. Ain’t the best, but not as bad as the critics would have you think. It was a good watch

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Georgan G

@RT98616417 Nov 26, 2024

Tells a complex story about corporations & rich men getting greedier than usual. Horrifying in it's details.

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Lanfranco C

@Lanfrancobz Aug 31, 2024

Sometime boring, but a little light on a big scandal: the oil for food program

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Jun 18, 2022

E adoro filmes baseados em fatos reais! E achei o filme excelente! Mais excelente ainda é ver Theo James transitar entre personagens tão diferentes pelos quais ele tem optado após a saga Divergente!

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Per Fly

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Pasha

Theo James

Michael

Jacqueline Bisset

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Synopsis

Michael, a young United Nations employee, travels to Iraq with his mentor, who wants to show him how successful the UN's Oil-for-Food Program has been. When Michael gets a deeper look at the organization, he unveils a corruption conspiracy in which officials -- both inside and outside the UN -- are skimming billions off the top of the aid meant for the Iraqi people.

Director: Per Fly
Producer: Malene Blenkov, Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Daniel Bekerman, Nikolaj Vibe Michelsen
Screenwriter: Per Fly, Daniel Pyne, Michael Soussan
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Creative Alliance, A24
Rating: R (Some Violence|Language Throughout)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 24, 2018
Runtime: 1h 48m

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