Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Rendition (2007) R - 3½ Stars

Very intense movie I'm close to giving 4 Stars. I 'm also wondering if this movie has any truth behind it. People disappear all the time from kidnappings and I wouldn't be surprised to find our government involved somehow like this. Great performances from an award winning cast who's lives intertwine when one man disappears from the radar, on his way home from Africa. There's a lot going on in this movie and my review is the short version.

Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) has just finished a conference in South Africa, about to return to the United States, and his very pregnant wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon). Anwar, born in Egypt and a chemical engineer, lands in the U.S., when he is whisked away and taken blindfold to an unknown location. As Isabella and her son realise dad did not come off the plane, she checks with the airlines who have no knowledge of his flight. Anwar has disappeared and Isabella turns to the only friend she knows with any authority, Alan Smith (Peter Sarsgaard), the assistant to a U.S. Senator Hawkins (Alan Arkin), as she thinks he can help her.

Corrinne Whitman (Meryl Streep), gives the order to handle the situation when she learns of Anwar's possible link to terrorism. CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrives at the interrogation of Anwar only to realise he may not be cut out for this job. He can't believe the unorthodox methods being used in an attempt to gain information from Anwar. When he realises, Anwar has nothing to tell, he quickly plans his next move to try and free him.

New Line Cinema
Director: Gavin Hood
Writer: Kelley Sane
Producers: Steve Golin, Marcus Viscidi
I viewed 1/09

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