Rendition: Review By efrain gomez

“Beat your wife every morning; if you don’t know why, she will.” Such is the analogous reasoning given for torturing a possibly guilty prisoner in the new semi-political, war-time thriller “Rendition” by Gavin Hood (”Tsotsi”), starring Omar Metwally, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Alan Arkin, Meryl Streep, and Peter Saarsgard (whew!).

The title is from the U.S. government’s policy of “extraordinary rendition” wherein foreign nationals can be detained and interrogated in supposed secret overseas prisons if they are thought as a threat to national security. In fact, just last week the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of an alleged kidnapping of a Lebanese-born German man in 2003.

In “Rendition” an Egyptian-born chemical engineer, Anwar El-Ibrahimi, is kidnapped while flying home from an overseas business trip, suspected of a terrorist connection and detained in a secret facility outside the U.S. At home, his pregnant wife (Witherspoon) is led in circles by government officials who refuse to acknowledge or comment on her husband’s disappearance. Meanwhile, the CIA analyst (Gyllenhaal) assigned to observe Anwar’s “interrogation” overseas doubts his connection to any terrorist activity.

The movie stands out from others in the same genre with its calm pacing and quiet actors, but perhaps it’s a little too quiet. While that’s contrasted with some typical Hollywood scenes of torture and suicide bombings, the story doesn’t portray how much of an impact a situation like this would have on human lives, thus leaving characters somewhat two-dimensional. A major “aha!” plot twist involving one of the interrogator’s rebellious daughters adds a layer of emotional depth, but the movie cleans up too easily in the end with little resolution to the events preceding.

But that doesn’t make it a bad movie. Actually, it’s kind of cool that the soul of this movie comes from the absence of musical soundtrack, over-acting, and unnecessary dialogue. It’s the story that feels alive.

This isn’t a “perfect” movie as film critic Roger Ebert believes, but it is another important snapshot of our volatile and uncertain times, placing it alongside films like “The Kingdom” and the upcoming “Lions for Lambs” this year. Reminding us that overseas conflicts can affect us in the U.S., this portrait reflects the helplessness we may experience when faced with global tragedy.

“Rendition” boldly approaches a timely subject of U.S. policy and morality, but then backs down at the opportunity to ask or answer big questions. With no easy way to approach the subject, “Rendition” fits comfortably in the realm of no answers, becoming a neutral visual statement, raising awareness through a clever dramatic thriller - nothing more, nothing less.