The Mauritanian (2021)

My Review

“The Mauritanian” is a riveting legal drama about a Mauritanian Muslim man held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for fourteen years without a charge filed against him. Director Kevin MacDonald (“The Last King of Scotland” 2006) organized the film with outstanding production values, sterling performances, and a marvelous screenplay by M. B. Traven, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani.

The cast is headed by Tahar Rahim as the detainee and Jodie Foster as his attorney. Their strong performances were the glue which held this picture together and made the 129 minute running time move rapidly. The supporting cast includes Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Levi, Corey Johnson, Saamer Usmani, Denis Menochet, and David Flynn.

The watchable “The Mauritanian” was not successful at the box office for producer Benedict Cumberbatch, BBC Film, Topic Studios, 30West, and STXfilms. It was primarily filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.