Review of Rendition (2007) by Iain S — 04 Apr 2009

Rendition [ren-dish-uhn] noun : A term used to describe the apprehension and extrajudicial transfer of a person from one state to another.

"Torture by proxy" is perhaps a better description. A practice allegedly undertaken by the United States in which suspected terrorists are transported to countries known to employ harsh interrogation techniques in order to obtain 'intelligence'.

Rendition brings together a great ensemble cast in a complex plot involving politics, morality, race and religion. When Reese Witherspoon's Egyptian husband is detained without justification by US authorities and is moved to Northern Africa under an act of rendition, she must battle not only to secure his release but also for someone to admit that he actually exists! Although a fine actress, Witherspoon struggles with a one-dimensional character who only appears sporadically to look either worried or angry. Jake Gyllenhaal fares slightly better as the conflicted US observer of Witherspoon's husband's torture, who becomes increasingly uncomfortable about the methods used and decides to take matters into his own hands. With Alan Arkin and Meryl Streep on effortlessly good form as the Capitol Hill lizards who impede all efforts to secure his release in the interests of "national security", it is therefore remarkable that Driss Roukhe steals the acting plaudits as the torturer whose job has a personal aspect not revealed until the end of the film.

The film is directed in a subdued, sombre style that brings to mind the political conspiracy thrillers of the 1970s but with a very contemporary subject matter. That it perhaps it does not quite stand up to such films as the All The President's Men or The Parallax View is due to the isolation of all the major characters who rarely interact and almost seem to be operating in films of their own. This reduces involvement in the story and slightly undermines the film. Nevertheless, the film takes an unfashionable standpoint on US foreign policy (at least in Hollywood) and for this reason alone it is a film that you should seek out.