Was Hani a rich man?
Hani was very well dressed and groomed. Very expensively dressed and groomed. Was he rich or did his position as "king" of Jordanian intelligence give him a certain "allowance" to afford his luxuries?
shareThat's the implication I got. Hani certainly took advantage of his position. He didn't care about the lives of most of the people he dealt with. It's possible he was from a rich, well-connected family to start with, but either way he was going to land on top.
He was Jordanian royalty.
I am a leaf on the wind - watch how I soar.share
I thought it was pretty clear that the film was establishing him as a member of the royal family in some manner. He wore expensive clothes, was educated, and had been given that position with plenty of latitude to do as he wished, but also was extremely arrogant, talked about how he "helped" people, and thought nothing of using people as if they had little value in the whole of what he was trying to accomplish (something that is often nurtured into people of that standing). Plus, that would make him the counterbalance to Crowe's character, who was an uncultured American from the South that had no subtlety.
shareHe was royalty, Di Caprio's character called him Pasha when they first met.
shareDon't think he was royalty, he was head of Jordanian Intelligence which am sure was a well paid position!
sharePasha or pacha, formerly bashaw, (Turkish: paşa [1]) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, "Pasha", in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of "Lord", and was also one of the highest titles in pre-republic Egypt.
from wikipedia. he was royalty.
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/12/pasha_of_the_spies.html
Hani was modeled on a real Jordanian spymaster. Pasha is an honorific, Hani was not royalty.
Is anyone here Middle Eastern? Was the Brit actor, Mark Strong, authentic on the ME mannerisms and accent?
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'Royalty' and 'rich' are not, in any way, the same thing -- the character Hani appeared to be well-off, and had a Euro education, so it was likely that his parents had money and influence. But he was not royalty.
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well ,i'm Egyptian and i thought his English was too perfect for my taste
i mean i didn't notice the usual accent that Arabs have in most cases ..
but he was convincing none the less.can't be all perfect :D
NYC has many people who are Middle Eastern so I am somewhat familiar with accent and mannerisms -- I thought the actor was from the Middle East. Good to know that I wasn't entirely off base by being convinced. Thanks!
sharewell ,i'm Egyptian and i thought his English was too perfect for my tasteI don't think that's unrealistic. Hani is clearly from a wealthy background and would likely have spent several years studying in the West. Bashar al-Assad studied in the UK for years and speaks great English. Rich and powerful families in the third world tend to send their children to study in Europe or North America.
i mean i didn't notice the usual accent that Arabs have in most cases ..
but he was convincing none the less.can't be all perfect :D
And yes, to answer the OP's question, Hani is rich and comes from a rich background. In Jordan, you don't get to a position like Hani's without plenty of connections in the circles of wealth and power.
"The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor."
- Voltaire share