The Coup

"Our noble crusade has begun."

- Khaled Al-Asad

The Coup is the third level in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Plot
The Coup is largely a cinematic level, acting as the opening for the game. This level is used to introduce the player to the primary antagonists, as well as the opening credits. It is shown through the perspective of President Al-Fulani who is driven through a city captured by Al-Asad and his military force. During the drive, Al-Fulani sees Al-Asad's forces rounding up and executing people (these are likely supporters of Al-Fulani) At the end of the level, Al-Fulani is executed by Khaled Al-Asad with a chrome Desert Eagle Mark XIX after saying the words, "This is how it begins." to the camera.

Walkthrough
You cannot do anything besides looking around and watch as people flee Al-Asad's forces. Many soldiers are shown throughout the city exiting armored personnel carriers and helicopters, as well as chasing down and executing civilians trying to escape.

Al-Asad's Speech
''Today we rise again as one nation, in the face of betrayal and corruption! We all trusted this man to deliver our great nation into a new era of prosperity. But like our monarchy before the Revolution, he has been colluding with the West with only self interest at heart! Collusion breeds slavery! And we shall not be enslaved! The time has come to show our true strength. They underestimate our resolve. Let us show that we do not fear them. As one people we shall free our brethren from the yoke of foreign oppression! Our armies are strong and our cause is just. As I speak, our armies are nearing their objectives, by which we will restore the independence of a once great nation. Our noble crusade has begun. Just as they lay waste to our country, we will lay waste to theirs. This is how it begins.''

Trivia

 * According to the satellite imagery in the briefing, the level is set in a city of the Yemeni coast. If that is true, the country the coup takes place in is more than likely Saudi Arabia.
 * It appears that Al-Fulani's legs were broken due to the fact that he needs two people to drag him to the car and to the execution area.
 * This is one of the three levels where you can see BMPs unload troops from their back doors, the other being Shock and Awe, right before the player lands the first time. And in Game Over using no-clip you can see it in the opposite side of the bridge from where you are.
 * Zakhaev's son, Victor Zakhaev can be seen riding in the car that transports Al-Fulani to his execution point, with Imran Zakhaev giving Al-Asad the Golden Desert Eagle he uses to execute Al-Fulani.
 * The multiplayer map, Showdown, is modeled after the execution area.




 * As you drive down the alleyway, you see a civilian painting a picture on the wall. The picture is of a man's face. This face is most likely Al-Fulani's face. The picture is also seen on a wall in the village in Blackout, as well as in the gas station in the multiplayer map Overgrown. The graffiti-face is similar with the face of Jason West, Studio Head of Infinity Ward. It could also be Al-Asad without his glasses, as the goatee looks somewhat similar. It may also be the mysterious First Horseman.
 * When Al-Asad executes Al-Fulani in The Coup, he walks up, cocks the pistol, and fires. When you see it on replay before Blackout, he walks up and fires without cocking, but a small fuzz in the screen before and the audience suggests that a frame (or a few) were skipped.
 * When Zakhaev hands the gun to Al-Asad, you see him pointing the gun at Al-Asad. Al-Asad hesitates as though surprised by a gun pointed at him. After a brief and awkward moment Zakhaev flips the gun around and hands it to Al-Asad with the grip facing him. It could be perceived as symbolizing Zakhaev's betrayal of Al-Asad; knowing that the execution of Al-Fulani would eventually lead to Al-Asad's death.
 * Using the noclip cheat if you go under the map you will see an AK-47 following the car underneath it.
 * The wooden post on which Al-Fulani is killed is already bloody, leading to the conclusion that other executions of public officials might have happened recently there.
 * The civilians seem to be putting up some sort of resistance; in one part of the car ride you can see them firing at the OpFor. However, their attempts are in vain, as you see them being picked off one by one by the OpFor's well-armed and well-trained troops.
 * This is one of the only levels in the game to contain a large amount of civilians, including dead ones. The only other level to feature so many dead civilians is Mile High Club.
 * Contrary to popular belief, the cartridge or "bullet" hanging from the rear view mirror of the car is not the one that shot Zakhaev's arm off because it is too small to be a 50 caliber round, the projectile itself isn't mushroomed, and most importantly, the casing is still attached to the bullet, meaning, that it hasn't been shot. Also, the building Price shot Zakhaev from was blown up, making it impossible to recover the shell casing.
 * In the middle of the car ride, Victor Zakhaev gets a cellphone call, and while he is on the phone, he takes a look at you. The caller could have been Al-Asad or Imran Zakhaev wondering about Al-Fulani.
 * Obviously the camera changes during & after the execution. When you are looking at it at first it looks at you, then during the Blackout mission, the camera looks directly at Al-Asad executing him. Then on the TV's it looks 60 degrees up.
 * This is the first mission where the player/character kills, is killed, or witnesses a killing in slow-motion (second, third, and fourth are Sins of the Father, Game Over, and Mile High Club).
 * There is a pistol above Victor Zakhaev's head, in the shade flap, which appears to be his M1911 he used in Sins of the Father. It should also be noted that the car in Takedown in Modern Warfare 2 has this pistol above the same shade flap, presumably because the interior model from this level was re-used.
 * If you turn at a right angle when Al-Asad kills you, you can see a blood cloud appear. You have to look to the right. This is not physically possible, as Al-Fulani would die instantly after the bullet penetrated his head and would not be able to see his own blood.
 * When you look at the rearview mirror in the car, the OpFor soldier's eyes never move because they're constantly looking at you.
 * This is strange, as the OpFor's head is always moving to view the road. This is most noticeable when he is turning and his eyes are facing you in the mirror
 * There are three cellphones in the car: One on the board in front of Victor Zakhaev, one in front of the player, and the one Zakhaev answers during the ride. It is possible the first one belongs to Zakhaev, the second to the driver and the third had been given to Zakhaev by either Al-Asad or Imran Zakhaev (whoever made the call).
 * This is the single player adaptation of the multiplayer map Showdown.
 * In the Modern Warfare 2 beginning cutscene the last parts of this level can be seen.
 * It is probable that Al Asad killed or forced away most of the civilians, since Sgt. Paul Jackson does not encounter them in the USMC missions.
 * When you use the "give all" cheat in this level, the game crashes when you press the switch weapons button.

Easter Egg

 * While Al-Fulani is being dragged to the car, several banners can be seen hanging with Arabic text on them. The black banner on the top left reads (إنفنيتي ورد), a transliteration of "Infinity Ward".

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqNPeL16HcQ