Metacritic reviews

Shot in Morocco with hand-held cameras, the movie has the urgency of a heart attack. Clearly tilted against the war, and heavy on explanatory dialogue, it paints a bleak picture of a desperate country that is being exploited by extremists at the expense of the despairing citizens. The situation is dire.

The Situation, Philip Haas's deftly paced, well-written, and brilliantly infuriating Iraq War thriller is not only the strongest of recent geopolitical hotspot flicks but one that has been designed for maximal agitation.

An overstuffed, unengaging drama that makes time for a love triangle.

Undeniably topical but the lack of emotional investment in its characters renders it more intelligent than engaging.

An uneven but impressively ambitious picture.

The Situation is, to put it kindly, a spotty piece of work. The script is by Wendell Steavenson, a reporter who seems to know everything about Iraq and next to nothing about screenwriting. The dialogue is flat, and the actors almost never rise above it.

This awkward and half-digested movie gives off a melancholy reek.

Part war drama, part political thriller, part romance -- and wholly uninvolving.

The situation in The Situation is grimly photogenic, yet persistently opaque.

It's a rare moment when the STORY makes the point, not the speeches.