It is certainly a sign of the times that a sports movie spoof and a film about a NFL quarterback softened by a precocious little girl were both considerably more popular at the box office than the new political drama Rendition (even though it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep).
Allow me to advise you -- if you can only afford one $10 movie ticket, skip The Rock's stony performance, and please skip the 37-millionth spin-off of Scary Movie.
"Rendition" comes from "extraordinary rendition" -- a term that was born during the Clinton administration. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was granted the authority, under extreme circumstances, to abduct a suspected terrorist, strip him of all constitutional rights and imprison him in a country not bound by human rights laws. Once the suspect is in the country, the United States essentially outsources the torture necessary to gain information about terrorist activity.
Since Sept. 11, however, the practice has become increasingly common. Though the CIA does not discuss rendition, international law expert Scott Horton estimates that 150 people have been thus rendered in the past six years.
In the film, Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), an Egyptian-American scientist, is rendered upon his return to Washington from a medical conference in South Africa. The CIA flies him to an unspecified North African country where they subject him to rather "unorthodox" means of information extraction.
Reese Witherspoon stars as Anwar's pregnant wife who desperately searches for clues as to why her husband seemingly disappeared during his flight. She contacts an old friend and top senatorial aide (the brilliant Peter Sarsgaard) to help her uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young CIA paper-pusher, is witnessing a violent interrogation for the first time. Gyllenhaal subtly displays Freeman's inner struggles between his desire to prove himself within the CIA and his moral qualms with the political system.
Talented South African director Gavin Hood recently won an Oscar for writing and directing the foreign-language film Tsotsi. In Rendition, Hood delivers a strong political message while at the same time giving relatability to even the most vile characters. Each character believes what he does is right, and though Hood is clearly anti-torture, he shows that extracting reliable information can indeed save lives. The question then is simply whether we can rely on information gained during torture.
Of the lead American characters, four of five have won or been nominated for Oscars in the last two years (and the fifth, Peter Sarsgaard, garnered a Golden Globe nod), but most of the truly remarkable acting comes from the actors playing the North African characters.
Hood and his actors provide characters and situations that are dripping with reality. A fault of the film could have been the inundation of perspectives. Fortunately, Hood uses breathtaking cinematography to intertwine all the subplots into a climax that will stun anyone.
Rendition is one of many recent (and upcoming) dramatic films that attempt to bring to light the truth of America's involvement in the world today. Unlike others, though, Rendition does not factionalize -- it is neither liberal nor conservative. This film will make you question your morals regardless of your political camp. Rendition truly shows the importance of walking a mile in your enemy's shoes.
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