Maybe the experience is different if you're American and/or you have no prior knowledge of what was going on in Gitmo (we been knew), but this movie -- while not too bad -- was not as good as it could have been.
The script takes middle-of-the-road approach and never really goes for the jugular. Sure, we can call the onscreen depictions of torture "brave" but it's not like it is the first movie to do so. The tone was confusing, there was a lot of jokes for a story that's about inhumane torture. I don't know what function the dream scenes were supposed to perform in the movie, some of them were disorienting, which I suppose is intentional to demonstrate Mo's mental state, but I wonder if they were necessary at all.
The acting was great though, I have no misgivings about the acting. I've always liked Tahar Rahim, but the poor guy is really typecast in America, in Europe they trust him with roles that have nothing to do with his background, because he's just that good.
Fantastic movie that demonstrates just how cruel and awful Gitmo is. It is a damn embarrassment that Bush, Obama, and Trump have used that facility to torture people in horrific and inhumane ways, with none of them going to shut it down. I sincerely hope Biden will do the right thing, but I won't hold my breath. The end credits roll detailing the aftermath of Mohamedou's struggle was just heartbreaking.
This was great acting all around, and I would've never recognized Doctor Strange.
Wow, what a heavy true story. Very emotional film, so hard to watch. I'm angry and sad. I just couldn't finish watching it. As John Le Carre said about the book: ‘A vision of hell, beyond Orwell, beyond Kafka’.
The Mauritanian just shows you how the US is the greatest offender of human dignity. Americans are just as evil as they come. This movie is a great reminder of America's real image and how fucked up, how deeply depraved they are.
Mohamedou Ould Salahi was held for fourteen years without being charged for a crime. 14 years without charges!! Unacceptable! And Salahi could have seen his mother if only Obama, (Americans liberals favorite 'hero') had not opposed his release. Obama extended the man’s sentence for 7 years after he won his freedom because why not? Yanks can do it.
The Mauritanian, critical of American atrocities, totally shut out of the Oscars. What a big, huge surprise. :rolling_eyes:
A good but not great film. It's well made and the acting is good but it is a little sloppy in places. Still, the subject matter gives it power, as once again we are reminded of the terrible injustices that happen at Guantanamo Bay. The injustices of American politics are also brought to light, although America isn't the only country guilty of scapegoating innocents, of course. Thank goodness then for those that fight on the side of all that is right, honourable and just.
It's a hard watch at times. But it's worth it.
Really enjoyed. Powerful and satisfying movie. I didn't think I would like all the guantanamo bay stuff because it's not the sort of thing I was really in the mood for when I started watching it. But I stand corrected. Family members had told me they had enjoyed this so I gave it a whirl. Definitely worth checking out. If you find yourself hooked on this then I promise you the end is worth the wait. So many movies fall flat or are just mediocre... I don't class this as one of them. Well above average.
Great acting in general but that's it.
The Mauritanian is a film with a good story whose release timing was a bit unfortunate. Many of the most powerful moments of the film don't carry the weight that they ought to simply because most people now accept that Americans committed crimes against humanity during and after "The War on Terror." That being said, the performance of Rahim is excellent, while both Foster and Cumberbatch put in good performances as well. In addition, I appreciate the focus on Ould Slahi's perspective in the story, though I think they could have gone even deeper into his story.
As an alternative, I preferred The Report (2019) which delved more deeply into the American psyche and the efforts to uncover American use of torture during the "War on Terror."
There is a feeling in this film that the superficial eats up the important. The message is placed above the story itself, and the dialogues become pamphlets. Cumberbatch's and Foster's characters receives more attention than the protagonist (brilliant Tahar Rahim). It's not understood that a movie based on a book told in the first person devotes so much time to other characters. The curse of propagandist cinema.
The story is powerful and would have deserved a more skillful director. Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch are acting their a$$ off. Shailene Woodley is holding her own. All in all this is a good movie with a shocking story. But the structure is a mess. Jumping back and forth is an attempt to add intrigue by telling the story as a puzzle which slowly comes together one piece at a time. It also adds confusion and prevents any kind of proper pacing. Nevertheless this movie will stay with you for a long time due to its stunning source material. I have Rahim pegged for an Academy Award nomination at the very least.
This is a difficult movie to watch or write a review on. At the core is outrage. Those who don’t want to believe that such outrageous things could be done by their beloved country and those entrusted with its values and justice will deny its assertions to protect the vision they hold as sacred. Others will raise their fist and proclaim they fight for the right of those abused and violated. Both sides will claim they know the truth. I am not surprised by man’s inhumanity. Indeed, my faith calls it original sin. The difference being I believe we are all capable of it. By my faith also believes in deliverance and hope, responsibility and the power of redemption. This film does a remarkable job of representing this man’s story. The performances are flawless. The storytelling is compelling. The warning is important. For those reasons I give this film an 8 (well told) out of 10. [Drama] Because this film is garnering awards it will be readily available. I watched it on a Home Premiere through the Cineplex Store.
This story is impressive, real, harsh and revolting, an incredible movie, with great performances and a reflection to make you think for days.
I'm sure it is different if you are an American and watch this film. For an outsider (if someone can be for such a tragic event) the movie is flat, an important story telling, surely a lot of bad things were made in the name of the terrorism law but you end up with a feeling of don't know if this was indeed true or not. I'm not convinced about the character and the portrayed, they needed to pass the message of how badly people were treated in Gitmo.
I suggest you also watch "Unthinkable", i different perspective.
I went into the movie with low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The movie was good and definitely worth watching. The storyline was well put together and the cast did an excellent job portraying their characters.
While I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of the events depicted in the movie, I can say that the characters were well-developed and believable. As is often the case with movies based on real-life events, the writers have likely taken some liberties with the story and characters to create a more engaging narrative.
That being said, the short interview with the real-life person at the end of the movie revealed him to be a charismatic and kind-hearted individual. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to others.
The Mauritanian is a compelling film that claims to be based on a true story, but it appears to rely heavily on the protagonist's diary. While the movie sheds light on the harsh realities of detainment and torture at Guantanamo Bay, I couldn't help but feel that the story was incomplete. I wasn't sure how many of the facts were accurate or how much was left out from both sides of the story. I felt like there was much more to the story than what was presented in the film. Despite its limitations, The Mauritanian is a thought-provoking film that highlights important issues surrounding justice and human rights.
Just another movie of how psychopaths people from the USA are. But well made. Nothing new and definitely nothing we did not know.
The subject of this movie has a lot of natural overlap with Adam Driver's 2019 film, The Report. When I saw that film a couple years back, I didn't come away with a super high opinion. I thought the story didn't translate to the screen in a compelling way, resulting in a dry experience that made me wish I had just read the Wikipedia article instead. Luckily, this film does not suffer from the same problem. The key difference is that we now get the POV of a character who is going through this awful experience first hand, rather than just seeing things through the lens of an investigator years later. It's a much more emotionally and narratively compelling perspective. Of course, this is largely thanks to Tahar Rahim, who delivers a spectacular performance as the titular Mauritanian. In the midst of such dehumanizing conditions, Rahim makes sure that the audience still sees Slahi's humanity. While the legal drama outside of Guantanamo feels a bit manufactured at times, it ultimately does its job and certainly doesn't detract from the powerful story at the center of this film.
Like good gum, The Mauritanian is tasty and gives you something to chew on, though it loses some of its flavor the longer you spend with it.
I loved the legal drama aspect of this film which is ratcheted up by the extreme facts that surround it.
While some of the dialog veers into melodrama, the cast is strong (Jodie Foster is a God, Benedict Cumberbatch is credible as an American, and Tahar Rahim carries the film in the titular role), the story is provocative and the emotional pay off is worth the investment, though maybe a little delayed. I think they could've cut this closer to an even 2 hours without losing any of the gravitas...
This is an important movie.
Shout by x0ttBlockedParent2021-03-03T10:54:09Z
Jodie Foster enthralling throughout, in fact all the acting performances were top notch.