The Mauritanian

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Videos & Photos

  • Official Trailer
  • Trailer 3
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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Producer:

Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch

Writer:

M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani

Release Date:

Feb 12, 2021

Runtime:

2hr 9m

Synopsis

A detainee at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release.

Cast

  • Jodie Foster
  • Tahar Rahim
  • Shailene Woodley
  • Zachary Levi
  • Saamer Usmani
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Langley Kirkwood
  • Corey Johnson

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.7
82.4K
14.6K
16.3K
RATINGS 194 FANS
3.7
  • Mar 2, 2021

    Pretty cut and dry procedural, but a great addition to the "reasons to hate the United States" canon. Jodie Foster stans rise. 2021 Ranked

    0 Likes
    john
    john
    Jan 13, 2021

    Things the movie wanted me to learn: how an inexcusable abuse of human rights stemmed from a fragile post 9/11 America  What I actually learned: Guantanamo Bay has a McDonalds

    0 Likes
    Oliver Swift
    Oliver Swift
    Feb 27, 2021

    Kevin Macdonald's legal drama, 'The Mauritanian', based on the 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary, follows the story of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a supposed 9/11 recruiter, as he fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for 14…

    0 Likes
    George Clark
    George Clark
  •
    Feb 27, 2021

    if this doesn’t get you to hate the US government, i don’t know what will

    0 Likes
    byrne
    byrne
    Jan 11, 2021

    Well-written, intriguing, and full of surprises, The Mauratinan manages to avoid the pitfalls of a well-worn story with an incredible central performance from Tahar Rahim and boldly directed sequences that explore the horrors of a system of justice with a unique narrative…

    0 Likes
    diego andaluz
    diego andaluz
    Apr 22, 2021

    Imagine you're at a friend's wedding, it's a month since 9/11 happened and the local cops show up and say that they want to ask you some questions about your cousin, can you come to the station? You decide, hey what's the worst that can happen? Why not just comply as you've…

    0 Likes
    Will Menaker
    Will Menaker
  •
    Oct 13, 2026

    I never would have imagined seeing a movie starring Jodie Foster and Tahar Rahim together, but the result is nothing short of incredible. Both actors, like the rest of the cast, deliver moving, phenomenal performances in a true story that’s just as extraordinary. French…

    0 Likes
    Killian Morlaes
    Killian Morlaes
    Jan 14, 2021

    A flat and scattered judicial docudrama that unpacks the case of Mohamedou Ould Salahi with the crude imprecision of a courtroom sketch artist, Kevin Macdonald’s “The Mauritanian” is buoyed only by Tahar Rahim’s humane performance as a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who spent 14…

    0 Likes
    davidehrlich
    davidehrlich
    Mar 5, 2021

    An absolutely amazing film based on a true story with Great acting and wonderful Cinematography, The movie is indeed slow but I guess it was never made to be a commercial one, Tahar Rahim must be nominated for the Oscars as best leading Actor. Highly recommend!!

    0 Likes
    Mobasshir
    Mobasshir

Atom Users Reviews

4.2
12
8
3
1
1
POPULAR TAGS
#truestory
#great
#mustsee
#greatcast
#intense
#original

Reviews

  • BH
    Brian Holloway
    #intense
    #mustsee
    #truestory

    Great Camera work

    MO
    MARIA OJEDA
    #provoking
    #original
    #repentive

    Fear, terror, torture should not describe American justice

    SW
    Shane Wright
    #mustsee
  • SO
    Spencer Oates
    #truestory
    #great
    #mustsee
    AD
    Ankit Dhuper
    #original
    #mustsee
    #greatcast
    ML
    Marc LeJeune
    #mustsee
  • LD
    Lynn Diaz
    #terrifying
    #intense
    #original
    JS
    JT Shaw
    #great
    AC
    Ashley Carter
    #greatcast
Read all 25 customer reviews

Metacritic

53
metacritic
Based on 35 Critics
7.2

USER SCORE (90)

Generally favorable reviews based on 90 Reviews
50
Feb 25, 2021

Sure, The Mauritanian is better than staring at metal bars and better than two hours of rigorous legal preparation. But it isn’t better by much.

Metacritic review by Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
40
Feb 11, 2021

Trapped for the most part in featureless rooms, a stellar cast — including Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch and Shailene Woodley — deliver dull speeches and sift through redacted documents, brows furrowed and lips compressed.

Metacritic review by Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
The New York Times
91
Jan 12, 2021

In the end, The Mauritanian is an efficient procedural that condemns the Bush-era treatment of detainees more effectively than any other recent narrative film. It’s an affecting, but nevertheless tragic, watch.

Metacritic review by Christian Gallichio
Christian Gallichio
The Playlist

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Mauritanian (2021) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is The Mauritanian (2021)?
The movie is 2hr 9min long.
What's The Mauritanian (2021) about?
A detainee at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release.
Who's the cast of The Mauritanian (2021)?
  • Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander
  • Tahar Rahim as Mohamedou Ould Slahi
  • Shailene Woodley as Teri Duncan
  • Zachary Levi as Neil Buckland
  • Saamer Usmani as Arjun
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Langley Kirkwood as Sergeant Sands
  • Corey Johnson as Bill Seidel
Who's the director behind The Mauritanian (2021)?
Kevin Macdonald directed The Mauritanian (2021).
Who produced The Mauritanian (2021)?
Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke and Benedict Cumberbatch produced The Mauritanian (2021).