The Angel

The Angel is an Israeli spy thriller film directed by Ariel Vromen and starring Marwan Kenzari and Toby Kebbell among others. It is an adaptation of the non-fiction book The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel written by Uri Bar-Joseph. It is a fictional account of Ashraf Marwan, a high-ranking Egyptian official who became a double agent for both countries and helped achieve peace between the two. Plot During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquers and occupies large areas of land including the Sinai Peninsula which then (and now) belonged to Egypt. On September 3, 1973, Ashraf Marwan meets Arab terrorists outside Rome International Airport, with a missile launcher that he smuggled into Italy in his suitcase. He tells the terrorists that he must leave immediately, as he is an Egyptian diplomat who cannot be discovered at the place of the attack, while the insurgents aim the launcher at a commercial airliner that is heading to Israel. Three years earlier, in 1970, Ashraf lives and studies in London with his wife, Mona, the daughter of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and their son. Ashraf disagrees with Nasser on how to proceed in the Israeli conflict and suggests that Nasser prevent further bloodshed and try a diplomatic solution with Israel, with the US as a peace-broker. However, Nasser and his men fear this will lose them the support of the USSR. Realising the USSR is on its last legs, Ashraf insists Egypt cuts its ties with the Soviets. Nasser rebukes Ashraf, and afterwards urges Mona to divorce her husband, which Ashraf overhears.