'Mosul' Trailer: Russo Brothers-Produced Netflix Thriller Follows Iraqi SWAT Team Fighting ISIS Militants

Joe and Anthony Russo are giving a boost to a new international action film by a first-time director through their deal with Netflix, which has produced hits like the Chris Hemsworth-starring Extraction. But the Russo brothers are taking a gamble with the newest action thriller, Mosul, which eschews a big-name star and is entirely in Arabic. Based on a true story, Mosul follows an Iraqi SWAT team as they fight to defend their homes from ISIS militants. Watch the Mosul trailer below.

Written and directed by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Mosul is inspired by the true story of a group of Iraqi fighters who embark on a dangerous guerilla operation to take back their homes, families, and city from ISIS. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo produced the foreign language film under their AGBO banner alongside Mike Larocca, Jeremy Steckler and Dawn Ostroff, while Endgame scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely served as executive producers along with Todd Makurath, Mohamed Al-Daradji, Patrick Newall, Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei and Felice Bee.

The film follows an inexperienced Iraqi cop Kawa  (Adam Bessa) who is rescued from a firefight by the elite Nineveh SWAT team, who quickly induct them into their squadron led by Major Jasem (Suhail Dabbach). Ishaq Elias co-stars in Mosul.

The film is notably entirely in Arabic, with no big-name star in sight: a big risk for a first-time director like Carnahan, who is a veteran screenwriter behind The Kingdom and Deepwater Horizon for Peter Berg, as well as Brad Pitt's World War Z and the Russo brothers-produced thriller 21 Bridges.

Mosul may be Carnahan's directorial debut, but the Russo brothers throw their weight behind the project, producing the film through their Netflix deal and saying in a statement: "This true story captures the resilience of the human spirit, when faced with seemingly unwinnable circumstances, and at its core, it celebrates the group of soldiers who stood together to protect their home. We are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring this inspiring story to the world."

Here is the synopsis for Mosul:

When ISIS took their homes, families and city, one group of men fought to take it all back. After inexperienced Iraqi cop Kawa (Adam Bessa) is rescued from a harrowing firefight by the elite Nineveh SWAT team, he's quickly inducted into the rogue squadron, a band of ten brothers-in-arms led by the wise Major Jasem (Suhail Dabbach). Under constant threat of attack, the unit embarks on a dangerous guerrilla operation, determined to wipe out an enemy base and restore order to the lawless territory. An extraordinary true story of heroism in the face of overwhelming odds, MOSUL is written and directed by Matthew Michael Carnahan and produced by Anthony and Joe Russo.

Mosul arrives on Netflix on November 26, 2020.