Just 6.5 – Metri Shesh Va Nim (2019)

Directed by: Saeed Roustayi | 135 minutes | action, crime, drama | Actors: Payman Maadi, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Parinaz Izadyar, Farhad Aslani, Houman Kiai, Maziar Seyedi, Ali Bagheri, Marjan Ghamari, Yusef Khosravi, Mehdi Hoseini-nia, Gity Ghasemi, Asghar Piran, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi, Javasemzaydearih

Iran has a major drug problem. The country is among the top when it comes to the percentage of drug addicts per inhabitant and in ‘Just 6.5’ (‘Metri shesh van nim’) we get a realistic picture of this. After what is arguably the best opening scene in recent years, we slowly get a grip on the story that Saeed Roustayi (direction and screenplay) wants to tell.

We follow a team of police officers investigating the recent explosive rise in drug use in the capital Tehran. They try to get a grip on the drug gangs from below. A shocking picture: the community of addicts who spray, sniff, swallow and inhale in sewage pipes, between bathing and playing children, women doing the laundry and people who already died a few days ago without anyone noticing. When Samad’s (Peyman Maadi) team approaches the spot, the people who are still somewhat clear-headed flee, but of course they are too late. In the detention center men and women are separated, the men are stripped naked and thoroughly checked en masse for possession of drugs, syringes or other necessities.

The purpose of this large-scale arrest soon becomes clear; the police need information. When one name is mentioned several times, the next step in the investigation is. For example, ‘Just 6.5’ in the first half is like a puzzle, where you get closer and closer to the big picture. The adrenaline rush that Roustayi gave the viewer with that incomparable first scene continues, because every time things turn out slightly differently than you expect.

Even when Samad finally gets hold of the great drug lord Nasser Khakzad (Navid Mohammadzadeh) after about 45 minutes, the maker still regularly misleads you. The picture that has been painted of Nasser up to that point is that of a ruthless criminal, but ‘Just 6.5’ cleverly plays with that pattern of expectations and lets the viewer adjust it regularly. The scenario of ‘Just 6.5’ is complex, but it is very cleverly put together. We get a picture of the complicated procedures that the Iranian law enforcement officers have to follow, as well as the futility of everything. We see why Nasser made the choices that led to this result and understand both sides of the story.

The confrontations between Samad and Nasser – both actors vying for the top spot in terms of charisma – are a feast for the eyes, the two are evenly matched and you never know what they can get. But the other conversations are also heated and steeped in emotions; whether it’s the 12-year-old boy who has to confess to his guilty father that the drugs belonged to him so that his father goes free, or the desperate relatives of Nasser who realize the consequences of their years of ostrich politics.

You don’t get to know much about Samad’s personal life, apart from his ambition and marital problems, where one is the result of the other and maybe vice versa. That doesn’t matter much though, because ‘Just 6.5’ is a hard-hitting, realistic, fast-paced action thriller, which has much more depth than the average Hollywood variant on this theme.