The Road to Guantanamo (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Mat Whitecross
Michael Winterbottom

Release Date:

9 March 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama

Plot:

Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.

Plot Keywords:

War Crimes | Afghanistan | Verbal Abuse | Taliban | False Accusation

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Riz Ahmed	...	Shafiq
Farhad Harun	...	Ruhel
Waqar Siddiqui	...	Monir
Afran Usman	...	Asif Iqbal
Shahid Iqbal	...	Zahid
Sher Khan	...	Sher Khan
Jason Salkey	...	Military Interrogator Sheberghan
Jacob Gaffney	...	Kandahar Interregator #1
Mark Holden	...	Kandahar Interrogator #2
Duane Henry	...	Guard #1
William Meredith	...	Guard #2
Payman Bina	...	Guard #3
Adam James	...	SAS Interrogator
Ian Hughes	...	MI5 Interrogator
James Buller	...	MI5

MPAA:

Rated R for language and disturbing violent content.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Urdu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | USA:R | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Finland:K-15 | Hungary:16 | Sweden:11 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Australia:MA | Italy:T | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Afghanistan

Company:

Film4

Trivia:

Two of the actors (Riz Ahmed and Farhad Harun) and two of the ex-detainees were detained temporary and interrogated at the airport by the British police when they returned from the Berlinale-festival where the movie got the Silver Bear. According to BBC-news Ahmed said he was asked if he intended to make any more political films.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When one of the "detainees" is first brought into the interrogation tent, a guard accidentally lifts the man's shirt, revealing the wire of a remote microphone.

Quotes:

Shafiq: [rapping to an American guard] My name's Shafiq Rasul, and I'm from Tipton, I tell them I ain't Taliban, but they don't wanna listen. You won't believe I just came out here, for my mate's wedding, do you? I never thought my ass, would be heading for Cuba.

Movie Connections:

References Back to the Future (1985)

Closer to home than you think

The film provides an excellent portrayal of the horrors that the US and the UK have gone to in the pursuit of the War on Terror, and also a damning indictment of the workings of the minds that are behind this "War". I feel that the film may well deserve the acclaim it gets purely on the basis of the bravery that it cast and direction have shown in making it- their freedoms and possibly their careers may be impinged upon as a result.

This fact was well illustrated in the recent incident that I feel brings the reality of Guantanamo and the War on Terror closer to home. It was documented that the cast, returning to Luton having picked up the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, were taken aside and questioned by police. In a haunting piece of irony, the mini-detention at Luton airport served as a mirror of Guantanamo. The actors were racially insulted (a policewoman telling one actor-"I'll get my male colleague to handle you- you Muslims don't like dealing with women do you?"); physically provoked (a policeman wrestling one of the actor's phones out of his hand to inspect his phone book); denied any legal recourse (they were not allowed to call their lawyers); insulted (one of the actors was called a "f****r" by a police officer); and generally treated by the supposed arbiters of justice in such a way befitting of people who know they are above the law and thus permit themselves to do what they like. Such occurrences are now commonplace in the life of the Tipton Three. Will it be the same for the actors who had the courage to play them?