The Mauritanian

Tahar Rahim Director: Kevin MacDonald Kevin MacDonald

Overview

After the tragic 9/11 terror attacks, Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) is captured by American authorities on suspicions that he is connected with those events. He is then detained in Guantanamo Bay, where he spends 14 years behind bars without being charged or given a chance to have a trial. Just as he is losing hope, he meets Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster), a defense attorney, and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Together, they start their campaign for justice, no matter how controversial it might be. Directed by Kevin Macdonald.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/11/2021
UPC:	0191329162187
Original Release:	2021
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Language:	English
Sales rank:	63,444

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tahar Rahim	Mohamedou Ould Slahi
Baya Belal	Mohamedou's Mother
Jodie Foster	Nancy Hollander
Shailene Woodley	Teri Duncan
Clayton Boyd	Lawyer
Denis Ménochet	Emmanuel
Robert Hobbs	Pentagon Guard
Pope Jerrod	Joe
Daniel Janks	John
Michael MacKenzie	FBH Clerk
Benedict Cumberbatch	Stuart Couch
Corey Johnson	Colonel Bill Seidel
Adam Neill	Whit Cobb
Darron Meyer	Bob the Spy
Lionel Strasky	Lawyer on Plane
Langley Kirkwood	Sergeant S. Sands
André Jacobs	Judge Robertson
Thandi Sebe	Gate Guard
Matthew Marsh	General Geoffrey Mandel
Justine Mitchell	Cathy
Toni Jean Erasmus	Female Guard
Alaa Safi	Moroccan Translator/Marseille
Saamer Usmani	Arjun
Zak Rowlands	Steve/Green Mask Man
Thabo Rametsi	Navy Jnr Associate
David Fynn	Kent
Walter VanDyk	District Court of Columbia Judge
Nancy Hollander	Self
Bongo Mbutuma	Guard
Shane John Kruger	Guard
Arthur Falko	Guard
Stevel Marc	Poulson
Adam Rothenberg	Santiago
Zachary Levi	Neil Buckland
Bonko Khoza	Camp India Minder
Melissa Haiden	Kim Couch
Meena Rayann	Wafa
Kiroshan Naidoo	Karim
Nahum Hughes	Friend
Francis Chouler	WSJ Journalist
Evan Hengst	Pentagon Guard
Walter van Dyke	District Court of Columbia Judge
Leon Clingman	Government Lawyer Patton
Anele Matoti	Camp Echo Guard
Litha Bam	Cyrano FKA Pinocchio
Nezar Alderazi	Ramzi
Daniel Kühne	Legion Bartender
Tom Hodge	Composer

Technical Credits

M.B. Traven

Michael Bronner	Producer
Kevin Macdonald	Director
M.B. Traven	Screenwriter
Micah Green	Executive Producer
Russell Smith	Executive Producer
Michael Bloom	Executive Producer
Adam Fogelson	Executive Producer
Dan Friedkin	Executive Producer
Rose Garnett	Executive Producer
Ryan Heller	Executive Producer
Zak Kilberg	Executive Producer
Jim Reeve	Executive Producer
Robert Simonds	Executive Producer
Daniel Steinman	Executive Producer
Maria Zuckerman	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Mauritanian is a legal drama based on true events. A man assumed to have had a hand in the 9/11 attacks finds himself detained in maximum-security prison Guantanamo Bay for 14 years, despite his not yet being charged. A lawyer and her associate who are charged with advocating for the man struggle to defend him, while a military lawyer tries to prove that the man is guilty. Mohamedou Ould Salahi (Tahar Rahim) is attending a family wedding in Mauritania, West Africa, when he's told that there are some Americans who need to speak with him. However, he's taken into custody, shipped to a maximum-security island prison at Guantanamo Bay and imprisoned for four years without any formal charges. After those four years, defense lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) find themselves in a courtroom trying to figure out why Salahi has been in prison with no charges, awaiting trial for something he claims he is completely innocent of. Hollander wants to force the U.S. government to charge her client with something or release him. Opposing Hollander in court is Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), the prosecuting lawyer for the U.S. military. He's personally invested in the case, as he believes that Salahi is responsible for recruiting terrorists for the planes that hit the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks, which also killed one of his friends. He's committed to see that Salahi gets the death penalty to appease the anger of the United States citizens, although he begins to uncover some details which make him question his faith in his government. Years continue to pass, however, without Salahi being formally charged for anything. Additionally, it's revealed that he was brutally tortured during his prison stay. The major question remains - did Mohamedou Ould Salahi have a hand recruiting people involved in the terrorist attacks on American soil or not? And whether or not he was guilty, how could he serve such a long prison sentence without due process of U.S. law? Directed by academy award winner Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) there are fine performances pulled from a talented cast, with Tahar Rahim standing out. There is much attention to detail paid to exuding the most out of the material, although the pacing is not even in his attempt to showcase the best qualities from everyone involved. Because of the limited time in a feature film, the effort ends up robbing the story of a depth that would have made it stronger. Based on the New York Times bestselling memoir "Guantanamo Diary" by Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a focus on the author as the main character of The Mauritanian would have made sense. But the film jumps around among various characters and seeks to build a credible case for all their differing beliefs. Despite the talent of the cast, their on-screen characters are not particularly interesting or well-explored in the script. The Mauritanian succeeds in painting an emotional picture of a major problem with the U.S. court system and imprisonment, especially concerning Guantanamo Bay. But it tries too hard to follow too many storylines without choosing a main character on which to focus, leaving it a little frayed at the edges. There are some particularly awful torture scenes that would be a better fit for a horror film, and the courtroom drama that would make a logical climax never comes to pass. But despite its shortcomings, the film is well directed and boasts fine performances, in addition to its solid technical prowess.