Certification. 15
Running Time. 2 hours 9 mins
Director. Kevin Macdonald
Cast. Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster, Zachary Levi, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley.
Rating. 67%
Despite a standout performance from French-Algerian actor, Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian is a somewhat familiar and formulaic geopolitical legal drama.
Based on the real-life experience of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, who was held captive in Guantánamo Bay for more than a decade without charge, Kevin Macdonald's film is an adaptation of Salahi's memoir, Guantánamo Diary published in 2005, a year before he was finally released.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast - Academy Award winner, Jodie Foster, Academy Award nominee, Benedict Cumberbatch and Golden Globe nominee, Shailene Woodley - but Tahar Rahim steals the show.
His portrayal of Mohamedou Ould Salahi is impressive, and portrays Salahi as resilient, intelligent and charismatic. His performance elevates the human element of a sterile, bureaucratic political drama. The deliberate pace ensures pertinent information is revealed slowly, in a piecemeal manner. For example, only toward the end of the film are we shown the detail of Slahi's interrogations. The systemic torture, water-boarding, sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation, are presented as a series of blurred flashbacks in a way that mutes the horror without completely hiding the abhorrent details.
Director Kevin Macdonald had all the components necessary to produce an incendiary political classic but I can't quite help but think The Mauritanian fell short of the mark.
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