--- title: "Rendition: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/rendition/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/rendition" critics_score: 55 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rendition (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 55 from 10 reviews: 2 positive, 5 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics agree that Rendition has chosen a subject worth the trouble: extraordinary rendition and the intersecting lives of those caught up in it. Even the cooler reviews grant that the film is earnest and well intentioned, and the warmer ones call it powerful and provocative, with the murky politics of the war on terror giving the drama a convincing backdrop. Praise for the acting settles on Jake Gyllenhaal, whom Eye for Film singles out as well cast, and Total Film finds the performances convincing and the final turn earned. The reservations are about the drama rather than the subject. The commonest complaint is flatness: Empire says the slick visuals cannot make the separate storylines cohere, and Variety goes further, calling the film dull and faulting low-key performances from Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon. The New York Times finds it dramatically unconvincing, and even the sympathetic Eye for Film says the subplot slows the pace and the ending strains belief. The spread is wide, with the middle settling on three stars. ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 19 October 2007. The review calls the film powerful and politically challenging. It praises the convincing performances and a final twist that feels narratively earned. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/rendition-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2007. Festival review. The review presents the film as smart and provocative. It praises the war on terror’s murky complexities as a compelling backdrop. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/rendition/4034486.article) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page displays a browser verification challenge rather than the review. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rendition-2007) ## The Hollywood Reporter Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2007. Festival review. The available text provides no critic’s verdict. It identifies the film’s focus as torture in the war against terrorism but offers no specific praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rendition-review-149718/) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Rating 3/5. The review presents the film as a politically charged thriller, earning a three-star rating. It singles out the subject of extraordinary rendition and the intersecting stories of those caught up in it. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-qymwlp/rendition/) ## Time Out — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/5. 16 October 2007. The printed 3/5 rating indicates a measured, middling verdict. The review text is unavailable, so its specific praise or complaint cannot be established. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/rendition) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2007. The review finds the film earnest but dramatically unconvincing. It criticizes the way the story handles its serious subject matter. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/movies/19rend.html) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2007. Errigo finds the film disappointingly flat despite its serious subject and well-intentioned message. She singles out the slick visuals, while saying they fail to make the separate storylines cohere. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rendition-review/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2007. Festival review. McCarthy finds the film dull and says its restrained melodrama drains an explosive subject of life. He particularly criticizes the opaque, low-key performances and lack of spark from Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/rendition-1200556544/) ## Eye for Film — Val Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2007. Kermode finds the film powerful and gripping, though its subplot slows the pace and the ending strains credibility. She praises Jake Gyllenhaal’s casting and says the subject deserves wider attention. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/rendition-film-review-by-val-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/rendition.md