“Extraordinary Rendition” is when a government abducts a person of interest, then ships them to a different country where they are interrogated and sometimes tortured, circumventing due process entirely. The United States has mostly done this with terrorism suspects, but until I watched this movie, I didn’t know there was an actual term for it.
And to be honest, I also didn’t know 2007’s Rendition even existed, which is odd considering it was released by a major studio, boasts a loaded cast and tackles timely subject matter. I’m usually up to speed on these things, even regarding movies that may not hold any particular personal interest. Yet I don’t recall ever seeing a single trailer, nor do I remember any theatrical run (at least where I live). I never spotted it on video shelves, cable TV or among the choices on any of my streaming services.
Was I missing out on something extraordinary during the ensuing 19 years? Not really. Rendition is sporadically interesting, but also kind of convoluted and narratively disjointed, exacerbated by two separate storylines we’re unnecessarily duped into thinking are concurrent.
The main story has chemical engineer Anwar El-Abrahimi (Omar Metwally) getting snatched away by the CIA during his return from a South African conference, with all records of his flight deleted. He’s suspected of aiding in a recent bombing, so on the orders of director Connie Whitman (Meryl Streep), he’s flown back to South Africa, where he’s grilled and tortured by Abasi Fawal (Igal Naor), who specializes in interrogation at the behest of the U.S. Also present is newbie CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal), ordered to observe the interrogation but not intervene. Yeah, right.
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| Jake reads Free Kittens' review of Rendition. |
When focused on Anwar’s plight and Freeman’s moral dilemma, Rendition is fairly engaging. The film also boasts great performances, though some of the characters ultimately don’t end up being as vital to the narrative as they initially seem to be. Streep, of course, is wonderfully hateful and pitiless as Whitman, while Gyllenhaal makes the most of a character whose sole purpose is to have a change of heart. Conversely, Reese Witherspoon is kind of wasted as Anwar’s pregnant wife, Isabella. As the first person to suspect something nefarious about his disappearance, her investigation is initially intriguing, but then curiously set aside by the final act. Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard and J.K. Simmons are also good in smaller roles.
For a thriller that was never on my radar to begin with, Rendition is one of those movies that I’m glad I finally saw, but probably wouldn’t feel compelled to revisit. While good performances and a timely theme make it watchable, the overstuffed plot and a needless bit of narrative slight-of-hand detract from its overall success. I’ll bet it wasn’t very popular in Washington, though.
This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray first released in 2013.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTE - Intersections: The Making of Rendition is a pretty good behind-the-scenes documentary.
SHORT - Outlawed is a half-hour documentary about a couple real life cases where people were abducted by the government and held in secret. At times, it’s more compelling than the feature.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Gavin Hood.
DELETED SCENES - With optional commentary.
TRAILER
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