Rendition (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  I had heard mixed things about Rendition. When I finally gave it a shot, I didn't understand why people where a bit negative towards the film. The film is a well crafted thriller and is one of the better genre films to come out in quite some time. The cast here are well assembled… More
  I had heard mixed things about Rendition. When I finally gave it a shot, I didn't understand why people where a bit negative towards the film. The film is a well crafted thriller and is one of the better genre films to come out in quite some time. The cast here are well assembled and they each deliver good performances. The story of the film is very engaging, thrilling and intricate. Rendition is a solid film and works as political thriller. The story, I felt was very strong and well developed. I very much enjoy these types of films that blend espionage, action and thrills into one film. Rendition is a solid thriller that delivers edge of you seat entertainment, and the cast make this film much better than it is. Especially with lead actresses such as Meryl Strep and Reese Witherspoon. Rendition's plot is engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. This is a brilliant film that was well conceived. Director Gavin Hood crafts a solid film and Rendition is better than what most people may think. This is a well made film with good performances and a great plot. If you're looking for a good thriller, Rendition is that film. The film is worth watching, and has enough thrills to keep you engaged. Rendition is a good film that doesn't deserve the flack it has received. This is a good film that will appeal to viewers looking for a solid thriller.

• Lady D

  
  Interestingly 'unHollywood' for a 'Hollywood' film and certainly do not judge this as a typical Reece Witherspoon film, it's anything but! Opinions will vary on Intelligence methods, either way it's a voyeuristic view of something that the average person… More
  Interestingly 'unHollywood' for a 'Hollywood' film and certainly do not judge this as a typical Reece Witherspoon film, it's anything but! Opinions will vary on Intelligence methods, either way it's a voyeuristic view of something that the average person would never witness. Fears for the innocent arise, fears for extremists slipping through the net arise. Enjoyable, gritty and a situation no one would like to find themselves in.

• Anthony L

  
  Rendition is not particularly clever and not particularly thrilling. Only the naive will feel like they've learnt something here and the 'Time-line Twist' isn't really much of a payoff considering how long and dull it all is. The performances are good, although… More
  Rendition is not particularly clever and not particularly thrilling. Only the naive will feel like they've learnt something here and the 'Time-line Twist' isn't really much of a payoff considering how long and dull it all is. The performances are good, although Reese Witherspoon hardly deserved top billing. Instantly forgettable and unfortunately terribly boring, certainly not as clever as it thinks it is either.

• Nadira I

  
  It actually is an under rated movie, it is better than what people think! The story is original, I've never seen other like this before. Jake Gyllenhaal does not do that much role in the film, but his acting is great. Reese Witherspoon have a great character and she illustrates a… More
  It actually is an under rated movie, it is better than what people think! The story is original, I've never seen other like this before. Jake Gyllenhaal does not do that much role in the film, but his acting is great. Reese Witherspoon have a great character and she illustrates a desperate mother searching for her husband really well. Other great actors are Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard and Meryl Streep. A really politically thought-provoking one but in some parts look a bit biased. It's a problematic story that everyone should think about.

• Emile T

  
  Good screenplay, good acting. Good film ! It's not the best film of the year, but still a great achievement

• Sarah G

  
  Isn't particularly a well constructed film and tries to be clever, which knocks of the pace of the film. However, the plot is original and keeps you attentive throughout with some good performances from Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal. Worth a try.

• Lanning :

  
  Geez, Louise. How can you take a topic this important and turn it into a trivial non-entity? Why am I even asking this question? Just hazard watching this piece of borat and, if you can choke it down, you'll see for yourself. I mean, does anyone watching this even care about… More
  Geez, Louise. How can you take a topic this important and turn it into a trivial non-entity? Why am I even asking this question? Just hazard watching this piece of borat and, if you can choke it down, you'll see for yourself. I mean, does anyone watching this even care about anyone in this movie? Shouldn't we? This ain't fiction, friends; it really happens. A lot. Cripes . . . what a lousy job of movie making all around.

• Jim H

  
  Virtually all the arguments against torture, and a few of the arguments for, are portrayed in this film; it is a textbook example of a thesis-driven film. But my relatively low star rating has nothing to do with my agreement with its anti-torture thesis. Rather, I think this film -… More
  Virtually all the arguments against torture, and a few of the arguments for, are portrayed in this film; it is a textbook example of a thesis-driven film. But my relatively low star rating has nothing to do with my agreement with its anti-torture thesis. Rather, I think this film - while attempting to advance an anti-racist agenda - expresses several anti-Arab sentiments. First, El-Ibrahimi's wife, who serves as one of the film's protagonists, is played by Reese Witherspoon, and I can't think of a better metonym for white America. The film verifies Anwar's "Americanness" by his relationship with his wife. If the film had any real courage or conviction in its message, the victims of this illegal, immoral policy would have been solely Arab Americans. Second, - SPOILER ALERT - Anwar's eventual savior is also white. Freeman represents the cordon of Americans who still recognize injustice when they see it. And Freeman's place as a CIA analyst allows us to re-affirm our trust in the government. In a way, his participation in the film's plot is a form of American self-congratulation even within the context of a condemnation. The film is well-made with a clever narrative stylistic turn toward the end, and all of the performances are quite strong. But in the end, it fails in its ultimate goal because it seeks too actively to appease the mainstream elements of the American movie-going audience.

• Richard C

  
  B

• Red L

  
  An interesting set of inter-related stories - a US citizen is being tortured in Northern Africa as he supposedly received phone calls from a terrorist; the daughter of a local army official runs away home; a young terrorist tried to kill that army official; a green CIA agent is… More
  An interesting set of inter-related stories - a US citizen is being tortured in Northern Africa as he supposedly received phone calls from a terrorist; the daughter of a local army official runs away home; a young terrorist tried to kill that army official; a green CIA agent is assigned to be the liason. Some of the action is in the present and some is in the past (which I found quite confusing). One might need to see it twice to understand it, but it is worth the watch.

• Cassie H

  
  Just average & half the time I didn't even know what was going on. I hate these movies with multiple stories going on.

• Film C

  
  I reallly enjoyed this movie and although not as easy as i thought it would be to follow its still a very entertaining action acked movie that is great for action fans, whilst also having a fantastic cast, and as Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal are dating clearly leaves an excellent… More
  I reallly enjoyed this movie and although not as easy as i thought it would be to follow its still a very entertaining action acked movie that is great for action fans, whilst also having a fantastic cast, and as Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal are dating clearly leaves an excellent chemistry thats makes the movie more believable and exciting!! Really worth a watch!!

• E.J. B

  
  A much stronger film would have measured the deplorable ethics of using extraordinary rendition with its results and debated its usefulness. This is not that film. It tries to cover an epic scope, throws in way too many characters, and even includes a plot twist involving… More
  A much stronger film would have measured the deplorable ethics of using extraordinary rendition with its results and debated its usefulness. This is not that film. It tries to cover an epic scope, throws in way too many characters, and even includes a plot twist involving time-shifting. The result is a film that is far too ambitious for its two hour running time, and by the end, it collapses under all the weight with a nice, tidy, typical Hollywood ending.

• paul s

  
  The potential for greatness is certainly here, and while there are minutes of brilliance, ultimately I felt a loss of connectiveness and a clash of movie conventions vs outside the box film making. Watching Jake's charactor unravel as he's put in the unpleasant position of… More
  The potential for greatness is certainly here, and while there are minutes of brilliance, ultimately I felt a loss of connectiveness and a clash of movie conventions vs outside the box film making. Watching Jake's charactor unravel as he's put in the unpleasant position of "observing" torture reminded me of Ralph Fiennes take on the starched, well oiled German commander who unravels once he is put in charge of a death factory in Schindler's list. The poignant moment of the Egyptian policeman/interrogator walking into his home, saying nothing, and yet the look on his face is the only clue his wife needs in order to understand that their daughter is dead - that and her subsequent weak beating on her towering husband who can only stand there and cry was mile beyond any of Reese Witherspoon's bleating at Meryl Streep (that entire sequence seemed very contrived and unreal, as if they needed some excuse to get Streep and Witherspoon on camera together). And yet, even during that scene, there was some wonderful camera work. Arrgh! Frustrating! Alan Arkin was also wonderful, playing a Senator who is outraged by the deception of "extreme rendition", but must bow to politics. I found that the pentultimate scenes, where the suicide bombing was revisited to be totally out of context, and not supported by facts previously given in the film. The distortion of time really interupted the flow of the film. But in the end I was taken in by culture clash and the brutality of those who are rabid in defending their beliefs - the parallell between Streep, as the CIA heavy who "defends" the US by torturing people for information, and the religious/terrorist cell who belive that the only way to heaven is by killing all the non-believers was not lost on me. That the US hides behind our moral supremacy, while getting others to do our dirty work for us is hineous, but also not surprising. I also found that while some have complained that there wasn't enough backround to the story of the tortured Chemist - I found the dissconnect to be just about right. without all the detail it not only added a sense of mystery and the possibility that in the end he was involved with terrorists, but also gave you the face of everyman - allowing you to think that his abduction and subsequent torture could happen to anyone. So much going on here in this film - with more judicious directing it could have been marvelous.

• Nicki M

  
  Good movie - very thought provoking. Not my usual type of film, but I did find it easier to follow than these types of stories usually are. Reese is kind of wasted in this - she's not bad, it's just not much of a part for her.

• Leigh R

  
  Not too shabby.

• Jani H

  
  After 9/11, filmmakers started to do these political thrillers. Most of 'em have failed and this turns out to be pretty average. The film displays the US government officials as paranoid players who will do anything to punish the guilty and torture the innocent. I hope… More
  After 9/11, filmmakers started to do these political thrillers. Most of 'em have failed and this turns out to be pretty average. The film displays the US government officials as paranoid players who will do anything to punish the guilty and torture the innocent. I hope it's not like that for real. The actors do a pretty good job and everything looks fine, but there's no feeling to it... The ending saves a lot.

• Dean M

  
  This powerful drama/thriller of the movie is following <i>A Might Heart</i> and <i>The Kingdom</i>. It continues the current trend of topical films inspired by today's political limate, exploring themes of terrorism, wrongful imprisonment and the… More
  This powerful drama/thriller of the movie is following <i>A Might Heart</i> and <i>The Kingdom</i>. It continues the current trend of topical films inspired by today's political limate, exploring themes of terrorism, wrongful imprisonment and the clandestine activities of detention centres - namely politically sanctioned torture. I like Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon's characters in their performances who supported and believed the disappearance guy in the routine flight from South Africa to Washington DC.

• Gordon A

  
  Earnest depiction of the rendition phenomenon and its fallout which offers few surprises but has considerable depth for a Hollywood treatment.

• danny d

  
  this movie was not well recieved by critics or fans, and im not sure why. i liked it a lot. the story was intriguing and powerful, the acting was solid as was the cinematography, and the film delivered true likeable characters as well as true villians. the hero of the film came… More
  this movie was not well recieved by critics or fans, and im not sure why. i liked it a lot. the story was intriguing and powerful, the acting was solid as was the cinematography, and the film delivered true likeable characters as well as true villians. the hero of the film came from an unlikely character, and the ethical concerns involved were difficult to judge. the close of the film could have benefited from another 10 minutes of info, but overall this was a solid film.

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