Review of The Mauritanian

A while ago I watched a documentary about the too-close relationship between Hollywood and the US military...I'd sort of suspected that the military cooperated with movie makers in exchange for help, but I hadn't appreciated the extent or the depth of the involvement...changing story lines even in science fiction films, for example. 

Well, I don't suppose the makers of this film got much cooperation. There are few punches pulled in the depiction of the US military's cruelty and caprice. We see torture and abuse of prisoners, much of it gratituitous, and some of it vile and porn-inspired. And it goes on way past any possible military or intelligence benefit, partly to cover arses and save higher-ups from embarassment. And the Obama administration did not behave better than its predecessors. 

It's a legal drama, with lots of stuff about release of documents, and privilege of counsel and so on, but it's well-made and well acted. I don't want to say more about just how well made because that'll spoil some of the film for anyone who reads it...but this is well worth watching.

Watched on Amazon Prime.