THE MAURITANIAN

Based on true events, THE MAURITANIAN follows Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man who is accused of aiding Al-Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks. (For those of you as unfamiliar with Mauritania as I was coming into this film, it's a country in Northwest Africa). The film opens with Slahi attending a wedding, before being kidnapped and taken to Guantanamo Bay where he is held for the next 14 years without being charged with a crime. Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley play his defense attorney's who sue the U.S. government for them to either charge Slahi with a crime or release him. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the prosecutor in Slahi's case as Stuart Couch, a colonel with a southern drawl who quickly finds out what kind of government he's representing in the post-9/11 world. The film begins suspenseful and fast paced, developing the story and characters rather rapidly. However, by around the mid-point the pacing really slows down and the film seems to drag in some areas as a result of this. Cumberbatch is obviously fighting a cold during the shooting of this film as his southern drawl is noticeably stuffy and nasally in every scene he's in. The biggest star of the film, Foster, is also the one who is the most interesting character out of the cast. She plays Nancy Hollander, a no nonsense lawyer, who detached from her feelings long ago as she's made a career out of these types of cases. Here she works pro bono, and is somewhat villianized by the media and some pockets of citizens who believe Slahi should pay for his alleged role in the attacks and Foster for defending a "terrorist." She gives the most captivating performance, however, Tahar Rahim, who plays Slahi isn't far behind as the accused man. Being that this story takes place over 14 years and two Presidential administrations, I appreciate the fact the film didn't get caught up in a Republican/Democrat problem: this was a U.S. government problem, regardless of who was President at the time. If you're really interested in seeing it, it's worth a shot; otherwise, you're not missing much if you choose to skip it. 5.5/10