When Egyptian born chemical engineer, Anwar El-Ibrahim (Omar Metwalley) disappears on a flight from South Africa to Washington DC, his American wife, Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) travels to Washington to try and learn the reason for his disappearance. Meanwhile, at a secret detention facility somewhere outside the US, CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) is forced to question his assignment as he becomes a party to the unorthodox interrogation of El-Ibrahim.

The title refers to the 'handing over' of persons or property to from one jurisdiction to another. However, in this case, it is about the transfer of suspects from US soil to another country to facilitate torture of the suspects for information. This practice, also known as an "extraordinary rendition," was authorised by the Clinton administration. After 9/11, there is reason to believe that the Bush administration uses it frequently in its War on Terror.

Thus "Rendition" treads into the minefield of debate over American Constitutional Rights versus National Security, offering no clear-cut verdict to its audience...

Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), an Egyptian-born American chemical engineer, is 'abducted' by the CIA while on a flight home to Chicago from a conference in South Africa. He is taken to a country in the Middle East where he is tortured for information by police chief Abasi Fawal (Igal Naor) about a suicide bombing that killed dozens of people, including a CIA agent. It is learnt that Anwar's cell phone received calls from a terrorist, or from someone with the same name.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, his heavily pregnant wife, Isabella (Reese Witherspoon), and young son wait in vain for his arrival. When he fails to show up, Isabella goes through a bureaucratic nightmare in Washington, seeking the help of her college friend Alan Smith (Peter Sarsgaard) to get to a CIA boss (Meryl Streep) for news of her husband.

Also involved in the questioning of Anwar is CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) who soon becomes concerned that Anwar may be innocent - and that if you torture a man long enough, he may just tell you what you want to hear. However, expert torturer Abasi believes otherwise. "Just keep beating your wife, if you don't know why, she does," he says.

Abasi also has a personal problem on his hands. A subplot, told in flashbacks, reveals that his daughter Fatima (Zineb Oukach) is involved with a young terrorist named Khalid (Moa Khouas) and has run away from home...

With three angles of the story running simultaneously, "Rendition" is a riveting drama that offers many surprises along the way. The most interesting is the insight into Khalid's indoctrination into the terrorist group, complete with details on how a suicide bomb works. The torture scenes can be dreadful and dreary, keeping us wondering about Anwar's claims of innocence, while we empathise with Isabella's plight in trying to trace her hubby.

Director Gavin Hood's filming structure, slipping flashbacks of the bombing plans into the main story flow, can be confusing at times but audiences should be able to complete the jigsaw puzzle once the pieces are all in place. Hood has an accomplished cast the likes of Streep, Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal but the note-worthy performances are provided by second-stringers like Naor and Oukach. Streep, who has a forgettable outing here, is obviously used for her box-office pull, while Witherspoon utilises her steely resolve to the max here. Gyllenhaal is captivating enough as the CIA agent stricken by his conscience, and Alan Arkin is compatible in a minor role as Alan's boss, Senator Hawkins.

I am rather glad that the scripters have left the question of Anwar's innocence open to debate - just as they have left open the controversy about 'extraordinary renditions' and Constitutional Rights versus National Security. This allows the audience to consider the merits of both sides in the light of increasing incidents of suicide bombings all over the world. After all, filmmakers need not have to provide answers to moral questions such as these. It is enough that they provoke thought and provide entertainment.

You had me at hello.

Egyptian chemical engineer Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwalley) is accused of abetting a suicide bombing. He is kidnapped and tortured in an interrogation by Abasi Fawal (Yigal Naor) and CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal). Meanwhile his wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) does everything to try and find out what happened to her husband.

Sounds good so far? They had Meryl Streep in a role set to surpass even her recent Miranda Priestly "The Devil Wears Prada" character as an ice queen. They were pointing guns at the big boys (America) and gaining favour from misrepresented Muslims everywhere. Is that why the movie changed rating from a 'U' to an '18-PL'?

And was it planned that the controversial movie had Malay subtitles that are horridly synchronised macam pos lambat to confuse the Malay-speaking portion of the audience?

In fact, I was surprised that this movie would even show in Malaysia. I was sure that the terrorist speech on religion and jihad would have killed it and if that wouldn't, the vivid portrayal of Islamic extremists would.

Anyway, the good point is a refreshing approach with a compelling and almost artistic feel to the storyline. It made "Rendition" a powerful emotional movie without overdoing it. It portrays 'terrorists' as more than your usual pakul-wearing, AK-47-wielding Islamic extremists. However, my goodness - it's confusing as hell as Gavin Hood bites off more than he can chew with eight storylines crammed into one movie.

I like that it wasn't a boring dialogue-heavy movie, but when you do talk please say something memorable or at least with a smidgen of conviction! "Rendition" brought about one of the worst performances by Meryl Streep and is a great disappointment to fans who are expecting to see one of her usual award-winning performances. The movie boasts the star power of Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard - unfortunately, they all seem to be sleepwalking through the movie with lines that would sound more convincing had they come from the zombies in Kampung Pisang.

Luckily, all is not lost as Zineb Oukach, who plays Fatima, shines with an emotional and convincing portrayal that will have you holding your breath towards the end. Likewise Moa Khouas, who plays the terrorist Khalid, will invoke emotion and pity for someone who is constantly depicted as a monster. Yigal Naor provides a strong portrayal worthy of comparison to Arnold Vosloo in "The Mummy"! Kudos to Omar Metwally as he made the audience truly 'feel' the suffering and pain of Anwar. I know this movie is supposed to make the Americans look bad, but seriously - it sure adds insult to injury when the American portion of the cast is completely upstaged by the rest.

This movie has a good build up, it tries to tackle a difficult issue and it is thought provoking and emotionally convincing. What it lacks, however, is a point! It doesn't move you to do anything nor does it leave you with compelling emotions that change your perspective. In the words of Stacie Orrico, "I go up, I come down and I'm emptier inside".