Rendition (film): Difference between revisions
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For lack of more experienced staff, Freeman is assigned the task of observing the interrogation of Anwar by Abasi Fawal ([[Yigal Naor]]). After Freeman briefly questions and tortures Anwar himself, he is convinced of Anwar's innocence. However, his boss insists that the detention continues, justifying such treatments as necessary to save thousands from becoming victims of terrorism. Eventually Anwar confesses to have advised on how to make more powerful bombs, and to have been promised $40,000 in return. However, Freeman believes it is a [[false confession]], which is confirmed when he [[Google]]s the names Anwar gives and finds out that they are the names of the Egyptian football team from the year Anwar left Egypt. He also expresses doubt as to whether Anwar would be willing to put his life, family and job in danger for $40,000 when he earns $200,000 in his job. He quotes [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] in a discussion on the value of intelligence gathered through torture: |
For lack of more experienced staff, Freeman is assigned the task of observing the interrogation of Anwar by Abasi Fawal ([[Yigal Naor]]). After Freeman briefly questions and tortures Anwar himself, he is convinced of Anwar's innocence. However, his boss insists that the detention continues, justifying such treatments as necessary to save thousands from becoming victims of terrorism. Eventually Anwar confesses to have advised on how to make more powerful bombs, and to have been promised $40,000 in return. However, Freeman believes it is a [[false confession]], which is confirmed when he [[Google]]s the names Anwar gives and finds out that they are the names of the Egyptian football team from the year Anwar left Egypt. He also expresses doubt as to whether Anwar would be willing to put his life, family and job in danger for $40,000 when he earns $200,000 in his job. He quotes [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] in a discussion on the value of intelligence gathered through torture: |
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:I fear you speak upon the rack, |
[[The Merchant of Venice|:I fear you speak upon the rack, |
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:Where men enforced do speak anything. |
:Where men enforced do speak anything.]] |
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Without the consent of his superiors, Freeman gets a warrant for Anwar's release and sends him back to America via a clandelestine ship to Spain. Freeman then leaks the details of Anwar's detention to the American press. The story is then found in the newspapers the following day by Corrine Whitman, who ordered Anwar's extraordinary rendition. |
Without the consent of his superiors, Freeman gets a warrant for Anwar's release and sends him back to America via a clandelestine ship to Spain. Freeman then leaks the details of Anwar's detention to the American press. The story is then found in the newspapers the following day by Corrine Whitman, who ordered Anwar's extraordinary rendition. |
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Revision as of 10:45, 5 November 2008
| Rendition | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gavin Hood |
| Written by | Kelley Sane |
| Produced by | Steve Golin David Kanter Keith Redmon Michael Sugar Marcus Viscidi |
| Starring | Reese Witherspoon Jake Gyllenhaal Meryl Streep Omar Metwally Peter Sarsgaard Alan Arkin |
| Cinematography | Dion Beebe |
| Edited by | Megan Gill |
| Music by | Paul Hepker Mark Kilian |
Release dates |  September 7, 2007  October 19, 2007  October 19, 2007  January 9, 2008  January 17, 2008  April 18, 2008 |
Running time | 122 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
- For the British 2007 film starring Andy Serkis see Extraordinary Rendition (film)
Rendition is a 2007 drama film directed by Gavin Hood and starring Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Peter Sarsgaard, Alan Arkin, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Omar Metwally. It centers on the controversial CIA practice of extraordinary rendition, and is based on the true story of Khalid El-Masri who was mistaken for Khalid al-Masri. The movie also has similarities to the Canadian Maher Arar case. Arar (born 1970), a telecommunications engineer, lives in Canada, holding dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship. He was deported to Syria and tortured, in an apparent example of the United States policy of "extraordinary rendition".
Synopsis
CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) is briefing his boss in a square in North Africa chief when a suicide attack kills his boss and 18 other people. The target was interrogator and torturer Abasi, but he is unharmed.
Egyptian-born Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), a chemical engineer who lives in Chicago with his pregnant wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) and their young son, is linked to a violent organization by telephone records indicating known terrorist Rashid placed several calls to Anwar's cell phone. While returning to the US from a conference in South Africa, he is detained by American officials and sent to a secret detention facility near the location of the suicide attack depicted earlier. Isabella is not informed and, growing worried, travels to Washington and slowly pieces together details of Anwar's detention.
For lack of more experienced staff, Freeman is assigned the task of observing the interrogation of Anwar by Abasi Fawal (Yigal Naor). After Freeman briefly questions and tortures Anwar himself, he is convinced of Anwar's innocence. However, his boss insists that the detention continues, justifying such treatments as necessary to save thousands from becoming victims of terrorism. Eventually Anwar confesses to have advised on how to make more powerful bombs, and to have been promised $40,000 in return. However, Freeman believes it is a false confession, which is confirmed when he Googles the names Anwar gives and finds out that they are the names of the Egyptian football team from the year Anwar left Egypt. He also expresses doubt as to whether Anwar would be willing to put his life, family and job in danger for $40,000 when he earns $200,000 in his job. He quotes Shakespeare in a discussion on the value of intelligence gathered through torture:
:I fear you speak upon the rack, :Where men enforced do speak anything.
Without the consent of his superiors, Freeman gets a warrant for Anwar's release and sends him back to America via a clandelestine ship to Spain. Freeman then leaks the details of Anwar's detention to the American press. The story is then found in the newspapers the following day by Corrine Whitman, who ordered Anwar's extraordinary rendition.
Another story line is shown in parallel: Abasi's daughter Fatima (Zineb Oukach), has run away from home with her boyfriend Khalid (Moa Khouas). Khalid shows Fatima a picture of his brother, but does not tell her what has happened to him. Abasi is told that Khalid's brother was an inmate at his prison and later died. Fatima is unaware that Khalid is a member of a terrorist group until his friends are arrested at a planned march and he leads her to the terrorist group's base. Near the end of the movie, Fatima discovers a notebook that contains pictures of Khalid and his brother together, showing that they were extremely close, as well as a picture of the two brandishing AK-47 machine guns, then some pictures of a grief-stricken Khalid standing over the body of his brother, some pictures of her father and finally a statement saying that Khalid is doing a deed in revenge for his brother's death. Realising that Khalid's brother met his death at the hands of her father and that Khalid is about to assassinate him, she runs off. It is then revealed that the entire storyline took place before the suicide attack. At the town square Fatima begs him not to do it, arguing that the target is her father. After removing the pin of his detonator he hesitates, and is therefore killed by the organizers of the attack. As a result he releases the handle of the detonator, and the bomb explodes, killing Fatima also. In the present, Abasi rushes to Khalid's apartment and discovers his grandmother, who is stricken with grief over the loss of both her grandchildren and Fatima. Abasi then realises that his daughter died trying to protect him and is filled with grief himself.
The record of a phone call supposedly made by Rashid to Anwar is not explained in the film. However, earlier it was mentioned that phones are sometimes passed on from one person to another, yet despite this reasonable doubt the CIA officials refused to release him. It turned out that in South Africa, while Anwar's phone was off, there had been a call to it from an unknown person.
For the scenes of Abasi's private life it is not always clear to which storyline they belong, that before or after the explosion. Abasi learns about Fatima's death only a week later.
Cast
- Omar Metwally - Anwar El-Ibrahimi
- Reese Witherspoon - Isabella Fields El-Ibrahimi
- Aramis Knight - Jeremy El-Ibrahimi
- Rosie Malek-Yonan - Nuru El-Ibrahimi
- Jake Gyllenhaal - Douglas Freeman
- Moa Khouas - Khalid El-Emin
- Zineb Oukach - Fatima Fawal
- Yigal Naor - Abasi Fawal
- J. K. Simmons - Lee Mayers
- Meryl Streep - Corrine Whitman
- Bob Gunton - Lars Whitman
- Raymonde Amsalem - Layla Fawal
- Simon Abkarian - Said Abdel Aziz
- Wendy Phillips - Samantha
- Peter Sarsgaard - Alan Smith
- Christian Martin - Senator Lewis' Aide
- Alan Arkin - Senator Hawkins
Reception
Reviews for Rendition were mixed. At Rotten Tomatoes, it achieved a 47% Tomatometer from 140 reviews. And based on 33 reviews, the film averaged a score of 55 at Metacritic.[1] Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars out of four, saying that, "Rendition is valuable and rare. As I wrote from Toronto: 'It is a movie about the theory and practice of two things: torture and personal responsibility. And it is wise about what is right, and what is wrong.'"[2] In contrast, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone applauded the cast, but noted that the film was a "bust as a persuasive drama".[3] Travers declared the film the year's Worst Anti-War Film on his list of the Worst Movies of 2007.[4]
References
- ^ "Rendition (2007): Reviews".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "::rogerebert.com:: Reviews:: Rendition (xhtml)".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Rendition: Review: Rolling Stone".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Travers, Peter, (December 19, 2007) "Peter Travers' Best and Worst Movies of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-20