Rosamund Pike and Jon Hamm join forces in thriller 'Beirut'

Set during Lebanon's civil war, "Beirut" follows Hamm's character -- a former U.S. diplomat -- as he attempts to rescue a kidnapped colleague.

Pike plays a CIA agent (Sandy Crowder) overseeing the mission.

"He is a great guy, he's everything you'd hope he'd be, funny, entertaining, good fun," Pike said of Hamm in a recent interview with CNN. "He's America's heartthrob. But here comes this man who looks like Jon Hamm into Sandy's life and she doesn't swoon. She finds him an inconvenience, a liability, he complicates her life ... it's an unexpected dynamic in the film."

Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton" and the "Bourne" franchise), "Beirut" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Pike said the film's setting drew her to the project.

"I think the '80s are a time that deserves exploring," she said. "The '80s in the Middle East particularly."

In this exclusive clip from the film, first on CNN, Hamm's character is approached to take on the assignment.

"Beirut" debuts in theaters April 11.