A Plot Hole You Can Drive a Truck Through 

(WARNING: plot points revealed)

Some movies have such blatant plot holes that you wonder how they ever get financed and done. Rendition (2007) directed by Gavin Hood is one such flick.

The film is about the secret renditions of suspected terrorists by CIA. It is well acted by such A-list actors as Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, and other serious talent like Peter Sarsgaard and Omar Metwally.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

I recently signed up for the Angelika Film Center's Newsletter , which means that I get free screening tickets.  The first one which I was actually able to attend was Charlie Bartlett, and I invited fellow Culture Feast blogger, Nicholas Johnson a.k.a. Dr. Danger, to enjoy the wonderful talents of Robert Downey, Jr. with me.  

As usual, I had no idea what to expect from this film.  All I knew was that Robert Downey, Jr. was in it, and as with I Am Legend and Will Smith, Downey, Jr.'s name was enough to make me want to see it.  I know there are some people who aren't too fond of him because of his sordid past, but I think he's pure genius.  Nicholas said it best when he said,

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The Kingdom is one of those movies that require a hush as the credits roll. No conversations. No cheap comments about how good the movie was. Just silent contemplation. The value of life. How quickly it dissipates. How easily a new generation of hate grows to replace the old. Just a few, simple words, spoken at a time of great loss. "Don't fear them, my child. We are going to kill them all."

Those haunting last words as the film closes on the face of a boy destined to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather. And as the credits roll, you experience an impending sense of doom that can only come from seeing the innocent face of a future enemy. 

Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner all delivered believable performances. The real gems of this film were Ashraf Barhom and Ali Suliman. As Saudi policemen, they evoked deeply exotic mysteries about Saudi culture, thought, belief, and reality.

As a whole, the film was well shot. The settings were dusty and frightening… mission accomplished. We Americans know next to nothing about Middle Eastern culture. We are both wooed and terrified of it. And in the end, both sides respond to killing with a vow to kill. The bloodshed will not cease. Of this we can be certain. And we can grieve.

It tells the tale of a story bigger than us. Bigger than our selfishness or desire for creature comforts. We are invited to despise ourselves just a little over how easy life can be in America… and how sheltered we are from the rest of the world. 

If you have a problem with seeing people get shot, this isn't for you. Otherwise, you probably should not miss this film. And while you watch it, ask yourself whether you understand these people well enough to judge them. Ask yourself if maybe a six month visit and immersion in their culture wouldn't serve to show you that there is more than one way to look at life. 

Popularity: 4% [?]