--- title: "The Mauritanian: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-mauritanian/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-mauritanian" critics_score: 55 critics_reviews: 22 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." --- # The Mauritanian (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 55 from 22 reviews: 6 positive, 9 mixed, 7 negative. The reviews are mixed, but praise for Tahar Rahim is remarkably consistent. Critics across the divide find that his performance gives Mohamedou Ould Slahi humour, dignity and humanity, keeping the personal cost of detention in view even when the drama falters. The more favourable reviews describe a compelling account of abuses of power, with the Evening Standard particularly valuing the attention paid to Slahi’s personality and storytelling. The disagreement centres on whether the film gives that performance enough support. Reservations recur around a formulaic legal narrative, sluggish pacing and a lack of dramatic tension. The spread is wide: some critics find the treatment forceful and accessible, while others see worthy material reduced to a conventional procedural. The Los Angeles Times makes the sharper objection that the legal-thriller focus sidelines Slahi himself. Even several of the least persuaded critics regard Rahim as a strong reason to remain engaged. ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 30 March 2021. The critic finds the film compelling, led by a mesmerising performance from Tahar Rahim. She especially praises how the film keeps Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s personality and storytelling at its centre. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-mauritanian-review-tahar-rahim-guantanamo-mohamedou-ould-slahi-serpent-b900614.html) ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 4/5. Collins presents the film as a forceful reminder that Guantánamo remains open. He praises its full-blooded representation of the detention camp’s victims. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vml6lw/the-mauritanian/) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 26 March 2021. The critic finds the film powerful and authentic, with a quiet dignity at its centre. Tahar Rahim’s performance is singled out for conveying Slahi’s integrity and wry humour through the abuse he endures. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/mauritanian-2021-kevin-macdonald-mohamedou-ould-slahi-guantanamo-internment-jodie-foster-benedict-cumberbatch) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2021. Debruge finds the film a tough but ultimately gripping argument against abuses of power. He singles out Tahar Rahim’s gentle, dignified performance as its emotional anchor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-mauritanian-review-tahar-rahim-jodie-foster-1234883447/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2021. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no details about what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-mauritanian-review/5155985.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2021. The page could not be read, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be confirmed from the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/movies/the-mauritanian-review.html) ## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2021. Macnab finds the film powerful but one-dimensional, with insufficient dramatic tension. He praises Tahar Rahim’s charismatic performance and the cast’s overall excellence. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/the-mauritanian-amazon-prime-video-review-a-powerful-but-one-dimensional-story-of-injustice-935422) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating C-. 14 January 2021. Ehrlich finds the film righteous but flat and scattered, with its closing title cards making a stronger impression than the drama. He praises Tahar Rahim’s humane performance as the film’s main strength. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-mauritanian-review-1234609425/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 2/4. 12 January 2021. Bowen finds the film formulaic and emotionally impersonal, shortchanging Slahi’s experience. He praises Tahar Rahim’s restrained, empathetic performance as more powerful than the lurid torture scenes. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-the-mauritanian-relates-story-of-u-s-torture-with-an-impersonal-touch/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 19 February 2021. Ebiri finds the film a noble but staid effort, nearly rescued by a striking ending. He praises Tahar Rahim’s performance and the final formal gambit, while criticizing the muddled legal narrative and disjointed backstory. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-the-mauritanian-jodie-foster-and-tahar-rahim.html) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/2/2. 1 April 2021. Jenkins finds the drama dramatically unsteady and dated, despite its clear condemnation of Guantanamo’s abuses. He praises the chemistry between Jodie Foster and Tahar Rahim. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-mauritanian) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 2/5. 13 January 2021. Bradshaw finds the drama worthy but frustrating, criticizing its fence-sitting approach and lack of answers about Guantánamo. He praises Tahar Rahim’s performance as perfectly decent, while faulting the film for congratulating itself instead of confronting unresolved history. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/13/the-mauritanian-review-guantanamo-bay-mohamedou-ould-salahi-tahar-rahim) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2021. The review finds the film’s critique of Guantanamo’s legal machinery worthwhile but ultimately generic and overly shouty. It singles out the torture sequence as briefly approaching an inspired insight into the country’s nightmares. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-mauritanian-transforms-a-memoir-of-unlawful-detenti-1846230239) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2021. Freer finds the film well-intentioned but dull, flat and formulaic. He singles out Tahar Rahim’s humane, affecting performance as its saving grace. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-mauritanian/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2021. Chang finds the film well-meaning but fundamentally miscalculated, criticizing its conventional legal-thriller focus for sidelining Slahi’s story. He praises Tahar Rahim’s extraordinary, nuanced performance and says it reveals the story the film should have told. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-02-11/the-mauritanian-review-tahar-rahim-jodie-foster) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2021. Rooney finds the well-intentioned legal procedural strangely flat and lacking dramatic momentum. He singles out Tahar Rahim’s dimensional performance as Slahi for praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-mauritanian-film-review-4111377/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 12 January 2021. Goldberg finds the film a compelling reminder of American injustice, though it occasionally relies on one-dimensional supporting characters. He singles out Tahar Rahim’s nuanced, unforgettable performance as the film’s central strength. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-mauritanian-review-tahar-rahim/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2021. Kermode finds the film highly watchable despite occasional clumsiness. She particularly praises Benedict Cumberbatch’s compelling portrayal of a military lawyer wrestling with his duty to the truth. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-mauritanian-2021-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 6.3/10. 12 February 2021. Crump finds the film rote and dull despite its compelling central performance. He singles out Tahar Rahim for giving Mohamedou Ould Salahi humanity and making him the film’s emotional heart. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jodie-foster/the-mauritanian-review) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating ★★★. 31 March 2021. The review finds the film solid but occasionally generic, with a softened impact despite its important subject. It praises Tahar Rahim for keeping the story’s human cost in focus. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-mauritanian-review-2911913) ## The Skinny — Tom Charles Rating ★★★. 1 February 2021. The review finds the film ponderous and often inert, though Tahar Rahim gives it a compelling centre. It praises the humanity he brings to Slahi’s story as a fresh and needed perspective. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-mauritanian) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 2021. The critic finds the film an unsuccessful, sluggish drama that struggles to turn Guantanamo’s abuses into compelling storytelling. They praise Tahar Rahim’s empathetic performance and single out a searing sequence in which lawyers read the documents they have pursued. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-mauritanian-film-review-jodie-foster-tahar-rahim/) --- © 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/the-mauritanian.md