The Mauritanian

Based on the New York Times best-selling memoir “Guantánamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, “The Mauritanian” tells the true story of a man who spent 14 years of his life imprisoned without charges at the notorious United States military detention facility. The film is a standard legal drama that focuses more on the man and his case rather than the atrocities that were levied against him. It still reinforces what most of us already know: Gitmo was a terrible, terrible place. Detained on the suspicion that he was connected to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Slahi (Tahar Rahim) was held by the U.S. government for over a decade. Wanting a challenge, social justice attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) asked for the chance to serve as defense lawyers for the man. The two advocates were shocked to learn that the only “evidence” the United States could produce was as forced confession that was coerced after months of torture to the inmate. Even the military prosecutor Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) resigned himself from the case. You could dismiss this as just another Gitmo movie, and you wouldn’t be wrong. It fades into the background of other similarly-themed big screen dramas, but the limited focus on one man works in the film’s favor. Foster and Rahim give effective performances, and the talent of the cast gives the film an edge. The majority of the story is about the legal team’s efforts to free Slahi from the prison, but watching characters sort through boxes of redacted material isn’t the most entertaining. Director Kevin Macdonald touches on the emotional toll that comes from representing an accused terrorist, and Cumberbatch has his stand-up-and-applaud moment when he resigns from the case because it’s the right thing to do. But much of this content is overshadowed by the re-enactments of abuse Slahi faced, including beatings, gang rape, isolation, sleep deprivation, water boarding, and spending many nights shackled naked to the floor. This film will make you angry and sad, especially when you consider that Slahi was one of the few individuals held in Guantanamo whom U.S. officials actually acknowledge had been tortured. “The Mauritanian” probably won’t stand the test of time as a historical document, but it is a film that will intrigue those interested in Gitmo and our government’s policies after 9/11.

Emotionally powerful thanks to the great actors (especially Rahim) and with a gripping true story, ‘The Mauritanian’ exceeds expectations, even if the overall film could have been a bit more polished. 9/10

Tahar Rahim and Kevin MacDonald have come some way since their first collaboration on "the Eagle" (2011). This one sees the former - Mohammed Ould Slahi - incarcerated, without charge, by the American authorities in Guantánamo Bay. His case comes to the attention of attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and together with her colleague Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) they fight tooth and nail to secure his release. Benedict Cumberbatch is their opponent, the formidable and honourable Col. Crouch, and as the story unfolds both parties begin to appreciate the extent of the atrocities being carried out. Rahim is super. His portrayal demonstrating startlingly well the extremes of human endurance - of body and spirit - as Hollander works tirelessly to secure his release. There have been a spate, of late, of these style of films that point the finger squarely as successive US administrations who use the rule of law as/when and if it suited them - regardless of their red or blue politics - and this poignantly delivered documentary-style film uses dialogue potently (and sparingly) as well as flashback and actuality-effect photography to gradually (OK, maybe a bit too gradually) depict the backstory of this young man - whom, so far as we know is guilty of nothing at all - really sensitively and powerfully. This is not a film that sees much actually happen in any traditional sense, and if you have read any of his best selling "Guantánamo Diaries" then you will know just how this legally protracted story concludes, but as an assessment of a state's attempts to systematically dehumanise a man; and of the blind obedience of some of it's servants in-so-doing, it is a compelling film to watch that cannot fail to leave a nasty taste in your mouth.