The Mauritanian [2021]

The Mauritanian succeeds thanks to a heart aching performance by Tahar Rahim. Definitely an underrated performance.

Don’t get me wrong. The movie is full of stellar cast, but Tahar Rahim playing Mohamedou Ould Slahi steals the show by far. I’m not here to judge if he’s innocent or not, but no one should be treated like Slahi. It’s that simple. We’re humans and we should treat others as such.

The movie tells the story of Slahi as he fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government in Guantanamo for years. Lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) gets herself involved and takes it all the way. It is based on the letters sent by Slahi to his lawyers which he later turned into a book.

To be honest, Foster and Rahim deliver excellent performances that are the best reason to watch this film. Especially Rahim, his performance is stunningly powerful. Yes, you have the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch, but even with his limited story and screentime, he managed to have an impression. I’m not blaming director Kevin Maconald. But his film is at times formulaic and predictable.

Performances aside, The Mauritanian is a horror movie in every sense of the word, except that it happens to be true. This is a film that leaves an itch and should be seen by the world.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be fair to give away the last five minutes of the movie, but they’re among the most compelling in a movie that will give new meaning to the word “justice” to many viewers and makes you rethink the whole U.S. Government and the last couple presidents from both parties.

Should you watch it?

The Mauritanian takes a frustratingly typical approach to a real-life story that might have been inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim’s performance elevates the uneven material and won my heart.

Where can I watch it?

You can stream The Mauritanian on Amazon Prime Video.