Review of Rendition (2007) by Chads. — 24 Nov 2007
Narrative pyrotechnics upstages the story being told. Keep it simple, keep it linear. Serious subject matter deserves a serious movie, and "Rendition", what initially begins as a poor man's "Babel"(which is to say, not bad), quickly degenerates into post-modern film techniques that ill-serves the material.
Revisiting the initial terroristic blast shows an appalling lack of maturity since the ka-boom redeux adds nothing to the film's primary storyline. We're impressed by the clever narrative structure.
In a film about America's treatment of Islamic detainees, the screenwriter's familiarity with Quentin Tarrantino movies shouldn't be foregrounded in favor of its supposed rhetoric. "Rendition" failed to persuade me that it believes "torture", in the hands of the good guys, the Americans, is indeed torture.
The filmmaker would rather entertain us. Anwar's innocence or guilt is beside the point. Nobody deserves to be tortured. "Rendition" fails to make this point crystal clear when Anwar(Omar Metwally) is allowed to return home.
This review of Rendition (2007) was written by Chads. on 24 Nov 2007.
Rendition has generally received positive reviews.
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