- Film Review
- Reviewed By Dave Aldridge
-
3 out of 5
Oscar-winning South African director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) makes his American debut with this politically charged thriller about "extraordinary rendition" - the US government practice of seizing suspected terrorists, and whisking them abroad for detention in secret prisons. Egyptian-American Omar Metwally is circumstantially linked to a terrorist group, and renditioned for interrogation. As his determined, pregnant wife Reese Witherspoon presses for answers in the US, another chance of rescue lies with CIA analyst Jake Gyllenhaal, who undergoes a crisis of conscience after Metwally's torture. The ensemble cast also includes Meryl Streep, whose tough turn as a cold-hearted CIA superior invokes a little too much "wicked witch" to be strictly believable. The surfeit of characters clutters up the plot, with each given too little screen time, while a needless split time frame is an added irritant. Nevertheless, this is decently made and a worthy Hollywood calling card for the director.
Plot Summary
Political thriller starring Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Returning to the US after a conference in South Africa, Egyptian-American chemical engineer Anwar El-Ibrahimi is arrested by the CIA who suspect that he was involved in a recent suicide bombing. He's detained and tortured, while his pregnant wife Isabella tries desperately to discover his whereabouts.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Douglas Freeman
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Isabella Fields El-Ibrahimi
- Reese Witherspoon
- Senator Hawkins
- Alan Arkin
- Alan Smith
- Peter Sarsgaard
- Corrinne Whitman
- Meryl Streep
- Anwar El-Ibrahimi
- Omar Metwally
- Abasi Fawal
- Igal Naor
- Fatima Fawal
- Zineb Oukach
- Khalid El-Emin
- Moa Khouas
Crew
- Director
- Gavin Hood
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