Tense but sometimes tedious
Film Critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to give you
everything you need to know about films in exactly 100 words (not 99, not 101).
Here is his 100 word review of The Mauritanian.
The Premise: Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) is a
prisoner stuck in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The U.S. is convinced
he is an Al-Qaeda recruiter who put together the team that crashed the planes on 9-11. The
only people who believe Mohamedou is innocent are his lawyers, Nancy Hollander
(Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri (Shailene Woodley). The military prosecutor
(Benedict Cumberbatch) assigned to the case wants to get the death penalty, but
he soon starts to wonder if the evidence points to a different story than the
one he has been told.
The 100 Words: With a top-notch cast and a compelling true-life story, this film should have been an easy watch, but it dragged at times and never really soared. The script is a bit too methodical and does not have enough humanity or heart. There had to be a way to make the legal investigation and court battle more interesting. That said, the flashbacks to Mohamedou’s torture are powerful and Foster and Rahim’s great performances make this a worthwhile watch. Plus, we all need to be educated about the way the U.S. government ignored the rule of law in its pursuit of justice.
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