The Mauritanian (2021)

“Well, when I defended someone charged with rape, nobody called me a rapist. When I defended someone charged with murder, nobody dug around my backyard. But when someone is accused of terrorism, people like you seem to think that that’s different. It’s not. When I stand by my client and I insist that he get a fair hearing, I’m not just defending him, I’m defending you and me. The constitution doesn’t have an asterisk at the end that says : “Terms and conditions apply.” ” – Nancy Hollander

Number of Times Seen – 1 (3 Mar 2021)

Brief Synopsis – Based on the true story of a suspected terrorist that was incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay for over a decade without being charged with a crime.

My Take on it – Very interesting premise that works eventhough it falls short in the end.

The story is told in a great way since t allows us to intimately see both sides of the issue.

Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch are both superb as the two lawyers dealing with the bureaucracy of the story.

Foster won a Golden Globe for her work in this film.

The story plays out really well and tries to shed light on the way that the justice system works (and sometimes doesn’t work).

The story unfortunately drags along too much in the middle and that hurts things a bit too much because the story ends up not feeling as impactful and poignant as it probably should have.

Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – While inside the prison corridor, Benedict Cumberbatch picks up a book from the book tray called “The Testament” which is written by novelist John Grisham. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)