Hunting Elephants לצוד פילים

Are you ready for an Israeli heist movie starring a handful of seasoned, aging actors? Hunting Elephants לצוד פילים 2013, directed by Reshef Levi, is a silly romp which involves three elderly men and grandson Yonatan (Gil Blank) who find themselves stuck together in a Jerusalem nursing home. Let us leave the characterizations aside, the one thing keeping them together is that they all want to rob the bank that employed Yonatan’s deceased father to avenge it for not paying Yonatan’s mother compensation for his dad’s death.

The actors Sasson Gabal, Moshe Ivgy, Moni Moshonov and Patrick Steward perform their over-the-top roles with panache. The grandson and his aging cronies create an amusing, rather disjointed movie that provokes smiles and laughter. It’s good to see familiar landmarks such as the Tower of David or the Dome of the Rock in a context that is neither religious nor political. It’s a reminder that Jerusalem is a living city with ordinary people going about their lives. The movie received mixed reviews. It depends on your expectations!

Reviewed by Dolores Luber

These movies are available free from the Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library at the JCC.

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