The standoff at the Algiers hotel is as tense as anything in The Hurt Locker or Zero Dark Thirty; the team of Boal & Bigelow knows how to ratchet up the tension (and how to get the best performances out of Anthony Mackie). That said, the scenes before and after the cops control the motel just seem to drag. First I thought I wouldn’t like it, then I loved it, then I was wondering how long until it’s over. Shave ten minutes off each end, and this would be a great movie.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2