The Road to Guantanamo
Release Date:
June 23, 2006
Limited release
On the Big Board |
Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
5/76 |
Dan Krovich |
Is actually made more dramatic by its matter-of-fact storytelling. |
139/159 |
David Mumpower |
Enemies of Michael Moore have a much richer target here. Road To Guantanamo is a shamelessly one-sided farce of a political re-enactment. |
Maverick director Michael Winterbottom's latest work was the talk of the Berlin Film Festival. This docudrama received the prestigious Silver Berlin Bear, and now it is being released on the arthouse circuit.
The subject matter is a troubling incident involving three British nationals who have come to be known as the Tipton Three. These gentlemen were on vacation in Afghanistan when they were detained by British and American soldiers. The trio was suspected of aiding terrorists in the ares, so they were taken into custody. After a period of interrogation, the Tipton Three were shipped to a facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For two years, the men claim they were tortured by American soldiers at the base. Eventually, they were released and, amazingly enough, no charges were ever pressed against them.
Winterbottom's film explores the motivation the men might have had for being in Afghanistan. As well, the docudrama recreates some of the harrowing events the Tipton Three maintain they experienced. Adding further intrigue to their account is the fact that several members of the cast were detained at a Berlin airport in the hours after the movie's victory at the festival. Clearly, the controversial subject matter is making a lot of government officials across the world nervous. This knowledge alone makes the project one of the most fascinating on the 2006 schedule. (David Mumpower/BOP)
Vital statistics for The Road to Guantanamo |
Main Cast |
Riz Ahmed, Ewan Bailey, Steven Beckingham |
Supporting Cast |
Nancy Crane, Christopher Fosh, Jacob Gaffney, Demetri Goritsas, Farhad Harun, Duane Henry, Mark Holden, Naser Nawaz Ranjha, Sara Stewart, Arfan Usman |
Director |
Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross |
Distributor |
Roadside Attractions |
Trailer |
Click Here for Trailer
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Rating |
R |
Running Time |
95 minutes |
Screen Count |
15 |
Awards |
Awards page for The Road to Guantanamo
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Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
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