'Black Gold' With Antonio Banderas & Tahar Rahim Now Called 'Day Of The Falcon,' Hits VOD In February, Theaters In March

nullIt was way back in the fall of 2011 when the trailer for Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Black Gold” was released, as the film started to hit the festival circuit. Now, in 2013, the epic film is finally seeing a release in North America with the brand new (and somewhat bland) title of “Day Of The Falcon.”

Image Entertainment will release the adaptation of Hans Reusch’s “The Great Thirst” on VOD next month with a limited release the following month. Starring Antonio Banderas, Mark Strong, Freida Pinto and “A Prophet” star Tahar Rahim, the period film follows the rivalry between two Emirs in Arabia just as oil is being discovered, while a young dynamic leader begins to attempt uniting the various tribes of the desert kingdoms. We caught up with the movie at the Marrakech Film Festival in 2011, and sadly, were left disappointed with the final result.

"It spans years, tribes, wars, and vast stretches of desert, and yet can't earn itself the label 'epic' because with awkwardly archaic plotting and execution, not to mention portraying Arabs in a manner not so much racist as mystically, romantically Orientalist…," our review said. "'Black Gold' is more instant relic than instant classic."

But, you can finally see for yourself whether the wait was worth it. “Day of the Falcon” hits VOD on February 1st with a limited theatrical release on March 1st. [Deadline]