Extraordinary Rendition

Picture and sound transfer are good, and the extras, though a little on the thin side, are enlightening.

The ‘director and star interview’ is a fairly cursory chat with Jim Treapleton and Omar Berdouni during the Edinburgh Film Festival last year. Much more rewarding is the commentary from Treapleton and producer Andy Noble, which covers everything from the logistics of shooting a low-budget, largely improvised film to the specifics of the rendition process and the ways in which it stretches (and in some cases defies) international law.

There are some revealing anecdotes – even veteran stuntmen were psychologically affected in achieving the film’s scenes of ‘waterboarding’ torture, and while shooting footage of an anti-war rally outside the American Embassy the crew were immediately “surrounded by a phalanx of police” and questioned – proof of how highly-charged the issue remains and how relevant the film is. As the commentators wryly note: “we’re probably on a database somewhere now.”

The passion and commitment of both men (and, indeed, everyone involved in the film) to their subject matter shines through, and their explanation of the film’s somewhat elliptical narrative will be useful to anyone like me, who found it hard to work out what was happening where and when sometimes. All in all, a useful expansion of and accompaniment to the main feature.

Trailer and photo gallery round off the package.