The Movie
The movie is somewhat of a character study of several people involved in or connected to the abduction of Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), who is of Egyptian descent but has been living in the United States for several years, by the CIA. After a suicide bomber’s attempt to kill North African (the majority of the film takes place in the fictional country of North Africa) political figure Abasi Fawal (Yigal Naor) kills a CIA agent, the CIA clandestinely detains El-Ibrahimi under the pretence of extraordinary rendition.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term (as I was until seeing the movie), extraordinary rendition is the practice of detaining suspected terrorists without the traditional constraints of law. Originally reserved for only rare circumstances, the practice was designed to facilitate protection against terrorism by allowing law enforcement agencies to detain suspected terrorist without having to first address what could be fatally time-consuming bureaucratic red tape. In essence, law enforcement agencies are allowed to detain suspects without much substantial evidence, without pressing charges, and without allowing access to an attorney, but they are still able to interrogate detainees to obtain information. The practice is explained more thoroughly in the film, as is the progression from its use only in select instances to its use on a fairly regular basis and its increasing association with torture.
Designed to highlight the moral complications of the practice and its impact on civil rights, Rendition shows multiple facets of the issue while still presenting one side as right and one as wrong, although admitting the distinction between the two is hazy. The most powerful aspect of the movie is the clever placement of relatively ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Detained while flying back into the States from a professional conference, El-Ibrahimi is a common family man caught in the unimaginable situation of being tortured for information he doesn’t possess. His equally typical wife, Isabella (Reese Witherspoon), is similarly caught in the powerless position of a common citizen battling with the bureaucracy of the U.S. government for classified information about her husband’s detainment.
Despite being quite far into her pregnancy, Isabella goes to Washington, D.C. to talk to her old friend Alan Smith (Peter Sarsgaard), an assistant to Senator Hawkins (Alan Arkin) who is then caught in the moral dilemma of wanting to help a friend and protect an innocent man but not having sufficient political clout to expose vital information and players without risking his political career.
The El-Ibrahimi family is only half of the story, however, with CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) also bearing a large portion of the film’s focus. A relatively green CIA agent who has just arrived in North Africa, Freeman is forced into the unexpected role of supervising the interrogation and torture of El-Ibrahimi (after El-Ibrahimi is secretly transported to a detention facility in North Africa) following the aforementioned death of a fellow CIA agent. Abasi is ironically the one conducting the interrogation/torture, and a difference of opinion ensues between Abasi and Freeman regarding the effectiveness of the torture methods being used and the veracity of El-Ibrahimi’s responses.
Freeman is ultimately another relatively ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation, and he finds himself struggling with the moral implications of American policies and battling with his superiors to free a man he believes is being wrongly detained.
As if the story weren’t complicated enough already, there is also a subplot that shows Abasi to be a family man himself, simultaneously involved in interrogating El-Ibrahimi and searching for his daughter, Fatima (Zineb Oukach), who has run away from home.
As you might have gathered from the lengthy (and perhaps, but hopefully not, confusing) summary given above, Rendition is a rather complex movie. Despite its complexity, though, the movie is crafted carefully enough to both be understandable and to induce an emotional investment in the characters. Some smaller details, such as the identity and relevance of some minor characters, get a bit lost in the story, but not really to such an extent as to distract from the primary plot. And while all the plot details are relevant in the end, the story does seem to slow in the middle, weighed down by a plethora of information but a lack of action. This lull is only temporary, though, and the story recovers quickly enough with increased action and even a couple of plot twists for the climax of the movie.
The cinematography and general mood is dark and somewhat ominous, aptly mimicking the shadowy secrecy of the practice of extraordinary rendition and the hazy moral positions of those involved. Character development is similarly well-crafted, with Witherspoon, Gyllenhaal, and Sarsgaard delivering memorable and compelling performances as simple people coping with extraordinary situations. Arkin and Meryl Streep also provide believable representations of equally conflicted characters who must be less sympathetic to the complexities of the situation due to their positions as higher-ranking government officials.
And while they may have helped raise the movie’s visibility, all of the A-list actors/actresses may not have been necessary to convey its message, as unknowns Metwally and Oukack deliver performances just as noteworthy as those of their better-known castmembers. Overall, I think the characters are constructed thoroughly enough to allow any actor/actress to shine in each role. At the same time, the particular cast meshes well, and each actor/actress works well for his/her role and for the cast as a whole.
Special Features
I would suggest watching at least a portion of the special features, but would not recommend doing so in the same sitting as you watch the main feature. The deleted scenes (available with optional commentary by director Gavin Hood) can be watched in the same sitting easily enough. These scenes don’t add a lot to the story, but there is an interesting subplot involving Gyllenhaal’s character and his girlfriend that adds additional depth to his character and to his morally ambiguous situation. There is also some further footage of Metwally’s character that further develops his plight while being held prisoner.
Again, there’s nothing monumental here, but the deleted scenes are as well-crafted as the movie and, as such, are worth a viewing. If you are interested in viewing the other features, I would suggest taking a break after the deleted scenes and doing so at a later time. That is not to say that the other features aren’t worth your time, though.
I would certainly recommend the featured documentary Outlawed, which provides real-life examples of victims of extraordinary rendition and actually supplied the inspiration for the movie. It is a little long for a special feature, but not as long as a full feature, and certainly not long enough to discourage viewing, as it adds a human element to the very real practice of extraordinary rendition.
The making-of feature, ‘Intersection: The Making of Rendition’, however, is probably not quite as deserving of your time, although it runs just as long, and probably longer, than the documentary feature. If you are interested in filmmaking, you may find the feature interesting, as it doesn’t reveal much about the story or characters but focuses, instead, primarily on the cinematography, physical production and shooting, and the use of local nonactors as extras.
Finally, commentary by director Gavin Hood is available for the entire film.
Presentation
The DVD presentation stands up to the high standard delivered by the rest of the film package. The music and colors are appropriate, setting the dark and somewhat ominous tone of the movie, and while there is moving video only on the main menu, there are good transitions among all of the various menus. In addition, navigation among the scene selection menus flows more smoothly than that of many DVDs.
Overall
As a citizen that likes to be at least marginally socially and politically conscious, I enjoyed Rendition both for its well-developed story and for its informational impact. The plot, the characters, and the mood worked seamlessly to create a unique and cohesive whole. The complex story did justice to a complex issue while simultaneously informing the audience about the practice of extraordinary rendition and eliciting an emotional investment in the characters. Overall, Rendition is a powerful drama, laudable both for its political message and its intricate story.