ROAD TO GUANTANAMO
Thematic sequel to Winterbotton's "In this world" that follows a trio of British-Arab nationals who inadvertently joy ride into Afghanistan only to be picked up and then re-located to Guantanamo Bay for torture and interrogation!
3 stars [(2006)TV movie-UK/2006 USA release/RoadsideAttractions/Rated R] - (1 hr. 35 min.)
Directed by Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross
Screenplay: (uncredited)
Review:
Certainly this Michael Winterbottom film will fail to resonate as strongly with Americans as "United 93," but those wishing to see the events of recent headlines fully fleshed out will appreciate much that this film has to offer.
What many people fail to grasp, in light of events like Abu Ghraib and the recent suicides at Guantanamo, is that any kind of amoral behavior by the ground troops stems from those above. If the people at the top are corrupt, then it filters down and these types of events are the results.
[Editorial comment: The Bush administration is doing much to eclipse the Nixon version in every negative way possible and this film only confirms the inadequacy of Mr. Rumsfeld at the helm of our military participation both here and overseas.]
Okay, I've completed my editorial comment and chances are this film will never reach the 'red states' until after its eventual DVD release anyway. Suffice to say, that this is not action packed or tension filled, but a long, slow wide-eyed observation of what effect an invading force can have on those that have emigrated away from their native lands and then decide to return.
Passivity and curiousity can easily be mistaken by paranoid ground troops as collusion with the enemy, and plain old visitors like the 'Tipton 3' can find themselves in a world of trouble.
The short version of this "true" story is that four young Londoners (of Arab descent) decide to attend a friend's wedding and are then drawn into a 'touring' party to go 'watch' the Americans invade Afghanistan (yeah, war is a spectator sport these days) and possibly help any innocent victims of the occupation forces.
The four are captured and three are deemed 'dangerous' enough to be sent to Guantanamo Bay for further interrogation. These British nationals were eventually freed and returned to England, but not until after a long, cruel, and decidedly inconsequential 'debriefing' process had been perpetrated by our military against these innocent men.
Plotwise, it's a long road to Guantanamo as the trio travels from London to Pakistan to Afghanistan and on to Cuba, but when the torture does start, the audience gets a taste too! This is NOT an entertainment folks, so be prepared to watch, learn, and empathize (hopefully).
[Editorial comment #2: This nonsense has got to stop, and somebody with some common sense has got to be put in charge of the military. The whole ordeal is ridiculous and embarassing to the country as a whole, and the true patriots who created and defended it in years past. Okay, I'm getting off the soapbox (again).]
Now go see this movie.
Characters/Cast
Shafiq - Rizwan Ahmed
Ruhel - Farhad Harun
Monir - Waqar Siddiqui
Asif - Afran Usman
With: Ruhel Ahmed, Asif Iqbal, & Shafiq Rasul
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