Genres

Visitors Review

Pete Hammond 2012-05-25 21:35:05

A political potboiler guaranteed to get your heart racing. It pushes all the buttons these kinds of suspenseful dramas usually do.

gundognc 2012-05-25 05:06:42

Torture bad. In other shock news Vatican boss suspected of Catholicism, bear defecates in tree rich environment...

As an alternative to Rendition you could create some form ofpower-point presentation showing a picture of Jake Gyllenhal with thewords "TORTURE=BAD" flashing on and off every second or so. Then youcould watch it for two and a half hours. It would be slightly moreenlightening and a lot more entertaining than Rendition.--Spoiler--Naughty terrorists blow up a market place in an unsuccessful attempt tokill a senior Egyptian police officer and killing Jake Gyllenhall'sfriend in the process. Because all the planes in America are currentlybeing used for rendition flights the CIA cant send out a replacementfor the dead bloke and tell Jake that he has to do the job despite notbeing a field agent.A man is stopped at customs while getting off a flight from SouthAfrica and then kidnapped by the US security services. He's an Egyptianchemical engineer who's suspected of having ties with the terroristsbehind the marketplace bombing. He's innocent. We know this becausehe's married to preggers all-American blonde Reese Witherspoon.After refusing to admit to being a terrorist the Egyptian isrenditioned (rendited? rendified?) to Egypt for water-boarding. Ialways think that it sounds like some kind of sport. I expect to seepictures of happy people surfing with the slogan "Go Waterboarding Withthe Family" or some such. Anyway -insert generic Arabic sounding namehere- is sent to the prison camp run by the police officer and torturedwhile Jake looks on with mounting horror and increasing conviction thatthe Egyptian is innocent.In the meanwhile we see a sub-plot about the policeman's teen-ageddaughter being seduced by a bloke who is going to lots of "AllahuAkbar" type meetings. There is also the sub-plot involving Reese tryingto get the American government to admit to kidnapping her husband fortorture.Eventually the Egyptian gives up the names of his "comrades" who turnout to be the 1974 Egyptian national football (soccer) side."Brilliant!" I thought, "Now we get to see ageing footballers havingthe electricity applied to their nipples." But sadly it wasn't to be.Jake gives in and rescues the Egyptian, presumably loosing his job inthe process.To cut a needlessly long story sideways we eventually find out that thedaughter's boyfriend was the suicide bomber from the beginning of thefilm and that the policeman doesn't realise that his daughter died inthe same incident. Bummer, that'll teach him for being a nasty torturerthen.--End Spoiler-- The film falls into the terrifying category of films that want to makeyou a better person. I can just about tolerate it when it's a filmabout some horrible abuse that I don't know about but really, anyonewho doesn't disagree with the policy of extraordinary rendition either:A) doesn't care; B) thinks all brown people should be tortured ongeneral principle; or, C) couldn't spell extraordinary, let alone knowwhat rendition means. In the end this film is a bit like Syriana which spent about 7 hoursshocking us with the massive revelation that "the oil business is a bitshady". Rendition is a non film about a non issue (given thatextraordinary rendition stopped about 2 years ago). Hollywood can makeall the movies it likes about these sorts of injustices and it wontmake a blind bit of difference because the people who agree with, don'tknow about or don't care about the policy wont see this film and thosethat do see it will already share the film makers moral outrage aboutthe issue and will tut and carry on eating their organic, sustainablyproduced, hand knitted hummus.

CountZero313 2012-05-20 16:25:44

a sign of the times

The term 'rendition' is a euphemism for state-sponsored kidnapping,just as 'waterboarding' is a euphemism for torture and the vile'collateral damage' means civilian casualties. Kidnap, torture and themurder of innocents is what the bad guys do. You cannot carry out theseacts and claim to be the good guys. Anyone who says it is 'naive' tothink so is feeble-minded.Thematically, this film doesn't work because it thinks there is anargument to be had on this topic. The filmmakers think it has to beargued through, but I can't see any educated person having their mindchanged by a Hollywood dramatization. The issue is covered in such ashallow manner that this film could easily be called Rendition forDummies.Considered in purely dramatic terms, the acting is high quality, as youwould expect from a stellar cast, though the stand out is thelittle-known Zineb Oukach as love-struck Fatima in an ill-fatedrelationship with one of her father's political opponents. There is alooping time-line a la Pulp Fiction that seems out of place given thecharged themes. There is also a sense that the 'bad guys' get theircomeuppance, which, given the fact that we are living through theseissues and they are far from resolved, is premature at best andinsulting at worst.I was left with a sense that some issues are best served by beingconsidered with the benefit of distance and hindsight.

Dana Stevens 2012-05-20 01:42:26

Rendition's worst flaw is its political deck-stacking, with its willingness to win the viewer's sympathy by showcasing the least defensible instance of extraordinary rendition imaginable.

2012-05-17 19:20:45

The Theory and Practice of Torture &Personal Responsibility

"'Rendition'-This is being done in our name. People who are suspected for any reason, or no good reason, of being terrorists can be snatched from their lives and transported to another country to be held without charge and tortured for information. Because the torture is conducted by professionals in those countries, our officials can blandly state that "America does not torture." This practice, known as an "extraordinary rendition," was authorized, I am sorry to say, under the Clinton administration. After 9/11, there is reason to believe the Bush administration uses it frequently." Roger EbertI tried very hard to like this film. It had all the right elements, star power- Meryl Streep, a storyline that is familiar to us, and wonderful direction. What was missing is a believable story line. The war in Iraq, a bombing that disrupts the lives of all involved, an American Egyptian who is seemingly innocent and mysteriously disappears and turns up being tortured in an unnamed country. The US head of intelligence is played by Meryl Streep, and she is flawless as a neocon using torture to fight terrorism. We get right down to the nitty gritty of torture, water boarding, electrical stimulation and beating after beating,. Meanwhile in the US, the innocent man's wife, Reese Witherspoon is on the path to solve the mystery of her missing husband. At this point much of the reality loses base. The US Intelligence officer in this country is left to an inexperienced young man played by Jake Gyllenhaal. He is an observer of the torture along with the head of the torturing committee, Igal Naor. Igal's daughter is caught up in an affair with one of this country's young male extremists. And this is where the story goes astray. The film is too pat, the storyline too contrived and the ending too surreal. This film was too important for it to go so wrong. It is understood that War movies are not collecting the audiences, but this kind of film will not help. "The dispiriting cold truth is that the post-9/11 films we've seen so far have struggled, in any real sense, to enter the national bloodstream, the collective conversation. Which raises the question: These days, when a message movie falls in the forest, does it make a sound?" Own GliebermanRecommended for the subject matter. 02-27-08Sophie's ChoiceJust Like Heaven (Widescreen Edition)

bob_meg 2012-05-17 03:13:38

Gets its point across, makes good sense, just nothing special

There's nothing really too wrong with "Rendition." Many criticsscreamed about the gratuitousness of the torture scenes (how do youmake a film protesting torture without showing the torture?) or itsmessage being too biased or preachy.I don't agree with these comments....I think the film does a fine jobof presenting the arguments for and against extraordinary rendition,and it also gives a sharp view of the realities and consequences ofthese policies as well.But is it a great piece of film? Here's where I can't sign-off. I feltthe entire cast of characters lacking in texture and soulfulness. Theyall seemed to be "types" and they seldom strayed from those profilesand prescribed behaviors, as diverse as they were. You pretty much knewexactly how they would behave from the start of the film to the end.The storyline was standard "24" or "CSI" procedural melodrama.This doesn't mean it's not engaging, it's just not great. You're notlikely to want to see it again and you'll be far too tempted to turn onyour TV for something of similar quality.

2012-05-15 20:02:35

Highly recommended

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I fully expected the director, Gavin Hood, to dish up the same kind of bland Hollywood moralizing as he did in Crash. Instead, Hood's treatment of this politically charged subject was thoughtful, accurate and well told.The subject matter is, of course, rendition--the policy of seizing an individual and transporting him (usually a man) to a foreign country so as to circumvent US law (which would require due process). Once extradited, the individual has no rights. He can be tortured and held for an unlimited period of time without any formal accusation. He can be killed. Without going into the plot of the movie, which has been covered by other reviewers, I would like to say that based on my personal experience with the "disappearance" of individuals for political reasons, this movie was highly accurate. The only difference between Argentina's policy of disappearing "delinquents" during the Dirty War and our policy of doing the same to "terrorists" is terminology. Whether you call your enemies "delinquents", "communists", "terrorists", or "Jews" the end result is the same--the total destruction of the rule of law. What is so disturbing about this film, and the current policy of rendition, is that the damage is no longer limited to national borders. By transporting individuals to secret prisons all over the world, we have, in effect, created an international dictatorship in which no individual of any nationality has a right to due process. Once that notion takes hold, the law of the jungle is the only law there is. Those who are hired to capture, torture and transport "terrorists" will do so indiscriminately, and according to their own notions of what constitutes a threat to international security. (For example, I have heard members of the Guatemalan military claim that all Mayan Indians are "born terrorists".)This film is for those with strong stomachs, but if you find that the torture scenes are too tense for you, don't simply put the movie away. Be sure to watch "Outlawed", the documentary included in the special features. This was Hood's reason for making the film. Not only is the documentary deeply moving, it gives an absolutely clear argument for why rendition has made a mockery of everything the United States stands for.

2012-05-15 05:21:41

this is a newer movie so where is the blu ray or hd dvd release!

i saw this movie in the theatre and not only does the best buy/target paper not even mention its realesed (i seen it on the shelf after walking around the store) but this movie doesn't even get released on blu ray or hd dvd? what the hell!

dierregi 2012-05-11 20:54:42

Reese Witherspoon is a saint (almost)

I like Reese Witherspoon. She seems a nice person and a decent humanbeing. I also like her playing in a good movie. Unfortunately, thisdoes not happen too often. Maybe because she is often type casted asthe quintessential, all-American, good girl.This happens also in "Rendition", despite the serious issues at stake.Reese plays again the blonde, blue-eyed, eminently likable young woman.In this movie she is already a mother and heavily pregnant with hersecond child, thus trying to elicit maximum sympathy from the viewer.Considering how good Reese is, you will never believe that anybodyassociated with her might be bad, let alone a Muslim terrorist.So right from the start goes out of the window any attempt to build aplausible story, because you already know that she is the heroin (andwill therefore succeed) and whomever is against her is the "bad guy",deserving to loose.The plot is indeed very serious, however leaving aside which side oftorture you take, almost all the other characters are rather unlikable,or just contrived so as to create maximum confusion about what is rightand what is wrong. Among them, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a soft-hearted,spineless CIA analyst who would be the worst nightmare of any company.He is the type of guy who, when given tasks he does not like, goeshappily about sabotaging his employer, rather than just resigning. OK,he has ideals, but I sincerely hoped his character gets fired and neverfind another job.Then we have Peter Sarsgaard, playing a rejected boyfriend who is goingout of his way to help the woman who dumped him. Very noble, but ratherunbelievable. We have Meryl Streep in a few scenes (which she steals)playing the villain. Finally we have an assorted bunch ofmiddle-Eastern characters, playing the whole range of clichés, fromcruel policeman to doomed young lovers. During the final scene, when wesee Reese holding the baby on her arms, I almost expected to see a halodropping on her head, so Virgin Mary-like she looked. Whatever is thepoint they are trying to make the whole movie felt manipulative,patronizing and fake. To be avoided.

2012-05-11 08:16:42

Mind Control

You're suddenly a terror suspect because of an errant cell phone call made to you? Sounds farfetched, yet that's the premise of this movie. Anything can be used to tie someone to extremist. What's next, spam? junk mail? facebook? It almost wants to make you want to disconnect from everyone. At one point in the movie, you think they got the right guy as Anwar "confesses" (after days of torture) to his connections with the extremist. For a moment this scene, seems to justify the means of "gathering intelligence"; afterall, Anwar "confessed" to his connections....but the reality is, he doesn't have any connections with the extremist!I can see how easy it is for my moral compass to be adjusted in only 1.5 hours because of his "confession". Can you imagine what would happen to us after days of psychological torture? We'll all probably say and do whatever our tormentor wants us to....Also enjoyed how the various sub-stories are intertwined, well crafted; so many characters trying to do the right thing, yet their actions push them far more into the world they all detest.In my opinion, mind control is the ultimate objective of terrorist, afterall our minds and what we think about most, likely will dictate our course of action....Disk also includes interviews with "real" rendition victims.

vark365 2012-05-09 02:28:21

Are we doomed?

This pile of celluloid was an absolute waste of time for me. It's majorproblem? IT IS SO DAMNED PREDICTABLE!!!! There was some decent actinghere and there and you couldn't help but feel for the unfortunate soleand his wife for a time but all that was put in the shadows by the everpresent resonating message... "never torture anyone under anycircumstances". If that were in reality the policy, we'd be diggintrenches and stackin bodies 10 high and listening to public servicemessages warning of no go regions around the country. Sounds like themovie that should be made. I'm so sorry I helped fill the bank accountsof the producers of this bilge.

ghinternet 2012-05-08 10:43:30

One great "I Hate When that Happens" scene

This applies to those of us who are based in the US (or any otherhome-country), but spend weeks or months each year stationed abroad.There's a scene where Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal's character) isworking in some un-named country in the Middle-East. It's late, he'sjust had a bad day, and he's decompressing while sitting alone in somehookah bar. His cell phone rings, he instinctively picks it up, and*WHAM* there is his boss - calling from DC, where the work morning isin full swing - peppering him with questions and wanting conciseanswers. And there he is, scrabbling to pull himself out of the firstrelaxing moment of the day and back onto the ball, or at least notsound incoherent.I had to suppress standing up in the theater, pointing at the screen,and laughing out loud! I don't know how many times I've been that guy.And it sucks every time!! For me that one scene was worth the price ofadmission. A decent film otherwise, but I found 'Syriana' moreengaging.

2012-05-06 11:36:50

Good story idea

The special features documentary is worth watching and would get 4.5 stars from me. This was the best part of the film because it gave credulity to the movie.An Egyptian American chemical engineer returns from Africa after getting a hangup on his cell from a known terrorist. This is flimsy premise for the story whereas the chemical engineering angle was more plausible but not developed fully as a realistic connection. As soon as he arrives in the States, he is returned to Africa where he is tortured, so a man, who cannot find his daughter who's dating a martyr-to-be, can locate the terrorist who supposedly called the Egyptian American. The sub-plot of young girl dating the terrorist is good but when it's finally brought together at the end, which is also the beginning of the movie, it just adds more questions instead of tying all the pieces together. Overall the story idea is a good one but the story telling was often confusing because of flashbacks and not smoothly transitioning to various POVs in disparate locales.

2012-05-05 23:40:16

An informative movie with a twist.

I received this movie as a gift a few months ago and only recently sat down to watch it. I had no idea what it was about so I was going into it with absolutely no expectations. Not only was this movie very informative, it also has a rather interesting twist.So what's the movie about? A man named Omar is taken to another country and is interrogated and tortured for a crime he says he didn't commit. Back home, his wife is worried sick and does everything in her power to get her husband back. Meanwhile, the head interrogator must deal with his own issues regarding his daughter.Let's talk about the positives first. In terms of the acting, the cast is great all around (including Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, and Jake Gyllenhaal). As far as the storyline, there are a couple of things going on which might seem confusing but it all comes together in the end. The ending is rather shocking and although the movie is mainly about "rendition", it ends just like a movie should-with a twist. When it comes to the main topic, it makes me angry just thinking about it. I know that people are more sensitive post 9/11 but this movie just shows that everyone deserves to be treated with an "innocent until proven guilty" attitude. And now for the negatives. I mentioned it above already but I'll say it again. The ending is a bit confusing. It may take a second watch to truly understand it. Overall, I think this movie is informative and thrilling-two things that make a really good movie. I certainly recommend it.

2012-05-05 18:55:38

Hard movie to watch

This review is from: Rendition (DVD) Rendition is a good movie but it's really hard to watch. The first time through it's also hard to follow, but after two viewings you get it. The cast is good and the ending is satisfying.

Geoff Pevere 2012-05-05 06:18:53

It's one thing for a thriller to be timely, quite another for it to function as Rendition does, a gripping piece of entertainment with a clear head on its shoulders.

mohamedster 2012-04-28 01:27:58

This could ACTUALLY have happened to me!!!

I'm Egyptian. I have a green card. I have been living in the US since1991. I have a very common Arabic name. I'm married (non-American butnon-Egyptian, non-Arab wife). I have children who are born in the US. Ihave a PhD in Cell Biology from the US and I travel for conferences. Imake 6 figure income and I own a home in the Washington, DC area. I paymy taxes and outside 1 or 2 parking tickets I have no blemish on myrecord since I came to this country in 1991. I look more Egyptian thanthe Ibrahimi character but my spoken English is as good as his.A couple of months ago I was returning from a conference/companybusiness in Spain through Munich Germany to Washington, DC (Home). Iwas picked up in Munich airport by a German officer as soon as I gotoff the Madrid plane. He was waiting for me. He was about to startinterrogating me until I simply told him "I have no business inGermany, I'm just passing through". He had let me go with the utmostdisappointment. That was nothing compared to what happened atWashington, Dulles airport (Which was not nearly as bad as whathappened to Ibrahimi in the movie). The customs officer asked me acouple of questions about the length and purpose of my trip. He thenwrote a letter C on my custom declaration form and let me go. After Ipicked up my checked bag I was stopped at the last exit point (SomeHomeland Security crap). I sat there for 3 hours along with manydifferent people of many different nationalities. I was not told thereason for my detainment. I was not allowed to use my phone or ANYother phone. I was feisty at first asking to be told of the reason orlet me go but decided to suck it up and just wait and see. I asked if Ican call my wife to tell her that I'm going to be late but was told no.When I tried to use my phone and as soon as my wife said "hello", anofficer yanked the phone out of hand and threatened me to confiscateit. When I asked about needing to call home because my family iswaiting, they said "Three hours is nothing, we will make contact after5 hours". When I asked to use the bathroom, an officer accompanied methere. It toilet was funny; I guess it was a prison style toilet thatis all metal with no toilet seat. Finally, they called my name and gaveme my passport/green card and said you can go. I asked what the problemwas, they said "nothing"!! I know it was only 3 hours but I was deadtired and wanted to go home to see my wife and kids.As for the movie, it was very well made. Unlike most movies thatinvolve Arabs and use non-Arab actors who just speak gibberish, thismovie the Arabic was 100% correct. I assume the country is Morocco(North Africa).

2012-04-27 13:37:07

Great Acting, Average Storyline

Watched this movie a few nights ago. Good acting on all counts by actors with so-so storyline. A man is suspected of terrorism and kidnapped to foreign soil to be held in a prisoner in a jail while they torture him in order to get a confession...In the meantime, the prisoner's wife, an American citizen, is worried sick about the disappearance of her husband and goes about trying to find out why he never made it home from a business trip overseas.Once her husband returns home, things are the same. He has witnesses brutality and trauma that an ordinary person never encounters and she wonders if he was ever involved in terrorism or not. How life changes on a dime that changes the way one sees things forever.

Victoria Alexander 2012-04-25 11:14:37

As soon as the hood comes out, start talking. Rendition leaves the question of guilt or innocence to each viewer.

2012-04-24 14:44:34

Typical mindless liberal nonsense.

Typical left wing "Hate America first" moive.It is all our fault terrorists hate us. There were not terrorists before Bush etc...Save you money and get the same BS from the kook liberal blogs.