Certificate: 15
Running time: 129 minutes
Starring: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shailene Woodley, Zachary Levi
Directed by: Kevin MacDonald
The story: Based on a true story, The Mauritanian sees a lawyer investigate the case of a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. As the case deepens, a far reaching conspiracy is uncovered.
The verdict: Any film based on a true story immediately impacts its audience and especially a film like this where you cannot believe that these reprehensible acts took place. The Mauritanian is not the first film to address Guantanamo Bay but because it is based on the 2015 memoir Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, there is a more personal authenticity to it.
For me Tahar Rahim, who plays Slahi, is the star of the film. He has a certain indomitable spirit that means that he never feels like someone you pity but rather someone that you are rooting for. The rest of the cast is strong too and overall I liked all the performances.
The Mauritanian has a reasonably long running time at just over two hours, however it never felt too long. I was engaged in it throughout and found it very watchable.
The main issue that I had with this film is that it is very conventional and generic. With the incredibly personal aspect to this story, it felt like it should have impacted me more both visually and emotionally. Of course I found the events that transpired at Guantanamo Bay shocking and disgraceful but I felt that the film focused too much on the more faceless American side where no one was really held accountable for their actions. The American characters that the film does follow serve as little more than plot devices to communicate any legal jargon. By the end of the film I felt that I knew very little of these characters who had done so much to help Slahi.
That being said, The Mauritanian was a film that I did enjoy and that has inspired me to seek out Slahi’s book. I think this one is worth a watch.
The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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