Rendition (2007)

Overall rating from 1 to 100: 73

O Masterpiece (100)
O Excellent (75-99)
X Rental (60-74)
O OK (50-59)
O Mediocrity (30-49)
O Avoid (1-29)

Review by Jason Pyles / October 26, 2007

By now most of the escapist-entertainment fare of summer has gone with the leaves, and with the chill of autumn comes an even chillier cinema. Heavy, emotional and brooding, the Oscar gunners this year are pointed, political, and sociological dramas, such as “In the Valley of Elah,” “The Kingdom” and “Gone Baby Gone.”

“Rendition” boldly stands among these, posing rhetorical questions for our consideration, the foremost of which is “To what extremes are we justified going to in order to protect ourselves from terrorist extremists?” Or, in other words, does the means of torture justify the end ... and by the way, what is that end?

As you can see, much like “Gone Baby Gone,” “Rendition” isn’t really a movie you’d watch to be entertained. It is unpleasant and uncomfortable. It will likely anger you, while simultaneously making you feel paranoid and fearful. Art is often created in hopes of agitating its partakers toward action. And sometimes, its implications simply evoke despair.

Anwar El-Ilbrahimi (Omar Metwally) lives in Chicago with his very pregnant wife, Isabella (Reese Witherspoon), and their little son, Jeremy (Aramis Knight). Anwar travels to Cape Town, South Africa to give a presentation at a conference for his fellow chemical engineers.

But on his way back to the states, Anwar is intercepted and abducted by the CIA, because he is under suspicion of having terrorist ties with an Egyptian national whose terrorist group is claiming responsibility for increasingly potent bombing attacks in North Africa.

The CIA seems convinced that Anwar is affiliated with the terrorist group. Isabella, his wife, is convinced of his absolute innocence. Both sides have compelling evidence, insomuch that we are unsure ourselves, which is worrisome. But in the meantime, brutal methods of interrogation are used at a foreign prison in an attempt to ascertain the truth. (Though unpleasant, watching these scenes is not like watching the “Saw” movies, thankfully.)

Whether Anwar truly is a terrorist, is innocent or even survives the abusive imprisonment, I dare not reveal. The bulk of “Rendition” is designed to be ambiguous, that we, the viewer, may become engaged in mulling over the issues, while identifying with the various characters’ points of view.

And while we automatically empathize with this apparent family man who’s being tortured, the filmmakers successfully instill within us the alarming nature of the terrorist extremists, which is conducive to feelings of desperate urgency toward finding an effective solution for investigating such suspects. This film also demonstrates various pitfalls (such as politicians’ fears of public perception) that lull a nation into turning its head and fooling itself about the necessity of resorting to unthinkable measures for extracting information.

Though it may seem like I have been overly generous in my elaborations, “Rendition” is much richer than this discussion represents. Truly, it is a film whose viewing will yield a personal, emotional experience, much like “A Mighty Heart.” The more films I see like these, the louder the final moments of “In the Valley of Elah” ring true to me. I guess that’s why it’s just easier to look the other way and watch popcorn movies like “Transformers.”

Directed by Gavin Hood
Meryl Streep / Reese Witherspoon / Jake Gyllenhaal
120 min. Drama / Crime
MPPA: R (for torture/violence and language)

Copyright 2007. 203