The Mauritanian (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Mauritanian' (directed by Kevin Macdonald, of The Last King of Scotland) is a fact-based adaptation of 2015's best-selling memoir, Guantanamo Diary. This film tells the story of German-educated electrical engineer, Mohamedou Salahi (played superbly by French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim, of A Prophet), who is swept up from his home & family in West Africa's Mauritania in the weeks after the 9/11 attacks and sent to Cuba's horrific Guantanamo Bay detention camp under suspicion of recruiting al-Qaeda for said attacks. Far out of reach of any United States courts {and our constitution}, Mohamedou Salahi is detained there & languished for many years without any actual charges filed against him or any prospect of a fair trial.
Year later, his case comes to the attention of ACLU lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) & her junior associate/translator, Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley); Hollander takes his case pro bono & has a history of suing the U.S. government. Initially, Nancy is there to make sure his civil rights are upheld & looks into evidence for/against him, but it soon becomes apparent that something awful has been going on - so they look to sue the gov't/W. Bush/Donald Rumsfeld. All the while, the government hands Salahi's case to Lt. Col. Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), a prosecuting lawyer & devout Christian who lost a marine friend in 9/11. 'Stu' is to prosecute Salahi & secure the maximum penalty of the death penalty ... but as all parties dig deep into this case, they are stonewalled; finding that governmental corruption runs darker than anyone could imagine. And so, we bear witness Salahi's long, arduous, prison-bound fight for justice.
'The Mauritanian' is a damning expose of the lengths - including torture - used against some 779 detainees, who were imprisoned without any charges filed against them. The gov't told the public that these Muslims were threats and, in the months following 9/11, that was all the public needed to hear. I admire a lot in this film. Various aspects impress. It builds, becomes more gripping/infuriating, & comes to a satisfying conclusion. Having said that, Kevin McDonald's approach to the material lacks a certain fire that this story deserves. I wasn't as emotionally affected as I think I should have been. Perhaps the script included too many asides, too many odd dialogues, and maybe the editing could have been snappier. It's professionally-executed, yet a bit bland; lacking some dramatic drive. But on the whole, I found it thought-provoking, sincere, old-fashioned piece of entertainment.
The major reason to see this film is for Tahar Rahim's spellbinding, raw-nerved performance. Rahim's tortured portrayal gives the film the punch it needed. Not only does he lend a soulful performance, but also one with interesting complexities, flaws & shades of gray; you don't quite know if he's guilty or innocent. In one scene, Salahi tells his lawyers that he endured inconceivable methods of torture just to elicit a confession. He's just a great actor who lends great humanity to the role. Benedict Cumberbatch is solid as the by-the-numbers prosecutor who wants to do the right thing, but doesn't know who to believe: country or suspect. Shailene Woodley acts as a surrogate to us viewers. And having Jodie Foster back in a major film is always welcomed. Though her role isn't flashy, Foster lends intelligence, wry wit & a no-nonsense energy as Nancy Hollander.
You know, I guess we'll never know for sure if Salahi was guilty or not -- it certainly seems that he was innocent. But the film does well to show how then - and likely now - the U.S. detain humans for political reasons rather than for actual crimes. The facilities at Guantanamo Bay are stunningly inhumane. Those Salahi torture flashback sequences reach a level of hellishness that nearly brought a tear to my eye. You know, though Salami gets courtroom 'justice' in the end, he wasn't actually freed until many yrs. later in 2016. Another 40 men are still being held without trial to this day -- sickening stuff to realize. I should have felt more enthralled as I watched the 'The Mauritanian'. But with good directing, acting, craftsmanship, & some extraordinary scenes peppered in, its parts are better than the whole – a whole worth seeing.
Year later, his case comes to the attention of ACLU lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) & her junior associate/translator, Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley); Hollander takes his case pro bono & has a history of suing the U.S. government. Initially, Nancy is there to make sure his civil rights are upheld & looks into evidence for/against him, but it soon becomes apparent that something awful has been going on - so they look to sue the gov't/W. Bush/Donald Rumsfeld. All the while, the government hands Salahi's case to Lt. Col. Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), a prosecuting lawyer & devout Christian who lost a marine friend in 9/11. 'Stu' is to prosecute Salahi & secure the maximum penalty of the death penalty ... but as all parties dig deep into this case, they are stonewalled; finding that governmental corruption runs darker than anyone could imagine. And so, we bear witness Salahi's long, arduous, prison-bound fight for justice.
'The Mauritanian' is a damning expose of the lengths - including torture - used against some 779 detainees, who were imprisoned without any charges filed against them. The gov't told the public that these Muslims were threats and, in the months following 9/11, that was all the public needed to hear. I admire a lot in this film. Various aspects impress. It builds, becomes more gripping/infuriating, & comes to a satisfying conclusion. Having said that, Kevin McDonald's approach to the material lacks a certain fire that this story deserves. I wasn't as emotionally affected as I think I should have been. Perhaps the script included too many asides, too many odd dialogues, and maybe the editing could have been snappier. It's professionally-executed, yet a bit bland; lacking some dramatic drive. But on the whole, I found it thought-provoking, sincere, old-fashioned piece of entertainment.
The major reason to see this film is for Tahar Rahim's spellbinding, raw-nerved performance. Rahim's tortured portrayal gives the film the punch it needed. Not only does he lend a soulful performance, but also one with interesting complexities, flaws & shades of gray; you don't quite know if he's guilty or innocent. In one scene, Salahi tells his lawyers that he endured inconceivable methods of torture just to elicit a confession. He's just a great actor who lends great humanity to the role. Benedict Cumberbatch is solid as the by-the-numbers prosecutor who wants to do the right thing, but doesn't know who to believe: country or suspect. Shailene Woodley acts as a surrogate to us viewers. And having Jodie Foster back in a major film is always welcomed. Though her role isn't flashy, Foster lends intelligence, wry wit & a no-nonsense energy as Nancy Hollander.
You know, I guess we'll never know for sure if Salahi was guilty or not -- it certainly seems that he was innocent. But the film does well to show how then - and likely now - the U.S. detain humans for political reasons rather than for actual crimes. The facilities at Guantanamo Bay are stunningly inhumane. Those Salahi torture flashback sequences reach a level of hellishness that nearly brought a tear to my eye. You know, though Salami gets courtroom 'justice' in the end, he wasn't actually freed until many yrs. later in 2016. Another 40 men are still being held without trial to this day -- sickening stuff to realize. I should have felt more enthralled as I watched the 'The Mauritanian'. But with good directing, acting, craftsmanship, & some extraordinary scenes peppered in, its parts are better than the whole – a whole worth seeing.