DVD
REVIEW: RENDITION
02/12/08
The world in which
we live has been plagued by terrorism. Paranoia reigns as we
question everything and are suspicious of everyone. This is
evident in the presentation of this movie. In certain parts
of the world violent eruptions are an everyday event, the
lack of which is something that we take for granted here in
the U.S. The story in this case revolves around a suicide
bomber and a terrorist ally suspect. These primary events
take place in an unspecified part of North Africa. This is a
strong movie and it is not for the weak hearted. It will
make you squirm, think, and doubt. Although there is an
all-star cast, the screen time is not ample enough for
anyone to really shine. It’s all about the story.
Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) is an Egyptian born
chemical engineer. That’s two things going against him right
there; the fact that he is Egyptian and that he is a
chemical engineer (he knows how to make a bomb). On his way
back to the States from a seminar he attended in South
Africa, he is secretly intercepted at the Washington D.C.
airport and questioned. Among his other interesting
attributes, he is suspected of having been in contact with a
known terrorist. Isabella Fields El-Ibrahimi (Reese
Witherspoon) frantically searches for her husband having
found evidence of him being on the plane but finding no
evidence of him arriving at D.C. Her quest takes her all the
way to Corrine Whitman (Meryl Streep) a top CIA official in
charge of this secret intercept and question program. For
reasons of national security, Corrine is unable to help
Isabella which just makes matters worse for Isabella as well
as Anwar. Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a CIA analyst
who was assigned to oversee the questioning of Anwar as he
was sent to a secret detention facility in North Africa.
This being Douglas’ “first torture”, he is young enough in
the CIA to still have a conscience and truly question
Anwar’s guilt. Is Anwar guilty or is this a case of mistaken
identity?
Maximum human damage is a phrase that brings chills to your
spine and yet it is exactly what terrorists strive for. The
reality of a bomb explosion is unparalleled and when it
comes to a terrorist bomb, extra care is taken to ensure
maximum human damage. The storyline of this movie is as real
as an exploding bomb with a script to match. The film
follows a Crash-like, Babel-like format with various smaller
stories from various parts of the world that all intertwine.
This in turn limits the viewers’ attachment with the film’s
characters but the actors’ performances are riveting enough
to keep you hooked. Omar stood out a bit as he had one of
the more passionate roles and he did a noteworthy job. The
cinematography was well done and appropriate, from the
residential areas of Chicago to the buildings of D.C. to the
alleys of North Africa to the eerie detention facility.
Director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) is solidifying his name in the
ranks with this production. It’s not exactly a movie of the
year nominee, but a powerful movie nonetheless.
Movie
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
16x9 widescreen (2.35) version
of the film
AUDIO:
English
Dolby Digital 5.1
English 2.0 Stereo Surround
Spanish subtitles
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Intersections:
The Making of Rendition” documentary: Director,
producer and cast talk in detail about how the film came to
live(30:05)
“Outlawed” featurette: This is a documentary
about how rendition program work in the real world. It
include interviews with persons that were part of the
program (27:39)
Audio commentary with director Gavin Hood
Deleted / Alternate Scenes: A total of four deleted scenes
and an alternate ending. The deleted scenes are all worth
watching. The alternate ending it is more emotional that the
theatrical. All the deleted scenes can be play with audio
commentary by director Gavin Hood(18:17)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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