Rendition (R) Grade: C+

ew movies have attempted to do what "Rendition" almost achieves. That is, successfully depict the international tensions in a post-9/11 world. This film comes close with its all-star cast and powerful message, but something is still amiss.\nPerhaps it is because this film focuses too much on a compelling plot rather than doing in-depth character analysis. The core story line is based on the "Extraordinary Rendition," a CIA initiative that abducts terrorist suspects to a foreign prison. The premise of the initiative is to use interrogation and torture to make the suspect reveal information. \nOmar Metwally portrays Anwar El-Ibrahimi, an engineer who is abducted while traveling from a conference in South Africa. Reese Witherspoon plays his pregnant wife Isabella, who travels to Washington, D.C., to find a reason for his disappearance. Meryl Streep plays a CIA agent who is convinced that Anwar is complicit in terrorist activities. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Anwar's interrogator, who is certain of the engineer's innocence. He is contrasted with another interrogator, played by Abasi Fawal, who uses stern torture on the suspect. \nWhile all of the emotion and events are realistic and powerful, the viewer is unable to fully feel empathy for the characters. One only sees the surface of each individual, which simply isn't enough for a film that pushes so much passion. There are isolated scenes in last year's "Babel" that evoke more sentiment than the entirety of this film.\nThis is not to say "Rendition" isn't a solid film and an earnest effort. If anything, it is a transitional film that will set the tone for future post-9/11 films. This subject matter is always difficult to depict when the world is in such a tumultuous time. And unlike so many films that depicted the 9/11 tragedies too soon, the timing is not off for this subject. While "Rendition" addresses the tensions in our culture based on fear and prejudice, the script fails to dive deeper into these tensions and leaves the audience wanting more.\n"Rendition" sets the stage for the new generation of leading actors in Hollywood. Witherspoon is the only actress her age that not only has a commercial appeal, but a respected and prolific career. The same is true of Gyllenhaal.