Rendition (DVD)

This is an understated, but nevertheless intense, political thriller of the highest caliber. Some reviewers found it slow, but the pace was necessary to build the story line. This is a tragic reality in the world today where suspected terrorists, even Americans, can be whisked away secretly to a foreign nation with no rights and tortured as we face tense political situations globally. It's a story that needed to be told since we will never hear about this in the news. The acting is superb by all in the cast particularly Omar Metwally, the man subjected to "extraordinary rendition" torture. The subplots and characters are all well-fleshed out and very moving. Showing the lives of the Muslims, their families, their very real suffering that fuels their extremism and the interconnectedness of all in the story was outstanding....you will be rooting for everyone in this story for one reason or another as all the characters were strong enough to elicit sympathy. I recommend this film for all political thriller buffs. Five stars.

I see that this film has received mixed reviews on Amazon. I thought it was excellent. I was completely absorbed in the two storylines and caught up in the very human dramas well portrayed by an all star cast. Jake Gyllanhall and Peter Sarsgaard are good in everything, Alan Arkin and JK Simmons excel in their small roles, Meryl Streep is appropriately cold and imperious as a high level CIA chief and Reese Witherspoon is okay in her role as a stereotypical wife and mother. I was not familiar with the foreign actors, but they were good in their roles as well. Rendition shows how easy it is to misuse government powers and how unreliable information extracted by torture is. You'd think we'd have learned by now that we only create more enemies when we use such methods and so indiscriminately. Recommended.

This was a nice film and I actually cried by the end of it haha. I did get confused at the end as well, so can see this will take a second viewing, but I think I understood what happened. What amazes me is how arrogant people can be when they have way too much power. I mean, did they REALLy not think someone would come looking for Anwar when he doesn't come home!? Or they just didn't care since they had no one to answer to. It's so sad when this can happen to people and there is nothing you can do about it. I actually was thinking the Fatima character should die to teach her dad a lesson (putting the problems in his backyard).... look what happens. Aren't we so lucky to be nice and cozy in our beds at night in America? Also, Anwar's character got on my nerves. Yes, yes he was being tortured, but sheesh stand up for yourself! He got an attitude with the American, but cried all the time with the Egyptian. I was waiting for him to spit in the interrogator's face, yell over and over he needed a lawyer, or barging answers for a phone call or SOMETHING. Then when he was given a chance he was so SLOW.

"Rendition" sheds light on the outrageous policy of extraordinary rendition, a policy that allows the U.S. government to detain persons of interest with no formal warrant or explanation. The plot of the film has been well-explained by other reviewers, so I won't go into that. This film had so much potential to bring forth new, compelling information about rendition, but failed to do so. Instead, it succombed to typical Hollywood theatrics. I suppose it's still worth a viewing, though, if you want to learn the basics of this outrageous policy. What's much more worthy of attention is the documentary "Outlawed", which is featured in the special features on this disc. "Outlawed" tells the story of a German man who was captured and detained for nearly 5 years. In those five years, he was transported between several "underground" prisons in several different locations around the world. The documentary is a long interview with the man recalling his nightmare experience. It is truly riveting. I wept openly when first I saw it. All in all, the film is a disappointment, but, as I've mentioned, the documentary included in the special features is superb.

Good movie, like it!!

Great to get this DVD, as the same DVD bought 18 months ago was for use in USA. This replacement was perfect. Not a film for the squeamish but an excellent depiction of the horrors of rendision. Great acting by an excellent cast. Prompt delivery in well packed container.

Ce film a reçu le soutien d'Amnesty International, pour son engagement à montrer une cause alarmante et terrible. Sous couvert d'horribles mensonges de la part des gouvernants américains, la CIA continue ses méfaits au regard de tous sans en être inquiêtée. La guerre contre le terrorisme menée depuis le 11 septembre 2001, a provoqué l'érosion de toute une série de droits humains. Le gouvernements des Etats-Unis, avec l'appui d'un certain nombre d'autres états complices (l'Arabie Saoudite, l'Egypte, la Jordanie, le Maroc, le Pakistan et la Syrie), a recours à des pratiques depuis longtemps interdites par le droit international : disparitions forcées, transferts secrets de détenus, détention au secret, torture et mauvais traitements ou encore détentions illimitées sans inculpation. Certains disparaissent définitivement, d'autres réapparaissent dans un endroit complétement alléatoire. Ces techniques ont un nom : Rendition. Ces états de fait nous font penser de suite à un centre qui devait être fermé depuis des années : Guantanamo. Le regard de Gavin Hood sur cet aspect terrible de la CIA, ses machinations, ses manipulations, nous ramène dans un présent trop vite oublié, où des hommes innocents sont détruits mentalement et physiquement. Meryl Steep est glaciale dans son rôle de chef de la CIA, dont une simple conviction suffit à déterminer de l'avenir d'un homme. Jack Gyllenhaal joue à la perfection un jeune loup de la CIA qui veut progresser mais qui n'est pas encore assez pourrit pour pouvoir tout accepter. Reese Whitherspoon, en épouse que personne n'écoute nous émeut sensiblement. Mais surtout, rôle difficile et parfaitement joué par Peter Sarsgarrd, criant de vérité en immigrant égyptien, enlevé et torturé. Film que je recommande vivement, pour ses acteurs bien sûr, mais sutout pour le sujet qu'il traite.

Buena película aunque poco conocida. Un thriller sobre las detenciones ilegales que llevo a cabo la CIA por orden del gobierno de EE.UU tras el 11-S. Está un poco en la línea de Red de mentiras y Green Zone, aunque este no es un film de acción. Thriller-denuncia (que tanto se lleva en los últimos tiempos) con un reparto de lujo, Jake Gyllenhall, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard............... En cuanto al contenido del dvd: Audio en Castellano,inglés,árabe,euskera y catalán. Subtítulos: Inglés y Español. Contenido extra: Making off,escenas eliminadas y final alternativo,tráiler, comentarios del director Gavin Hood y lo mejor de todo incluye un pequeño documental llamado ``fuera de la ley'' igual o incluso más interesante que la propia película. Muy recomendable.

Excelentes actuaciones y muy buena trama Jake Gyllenhaal el mejor