Overview
A gripping tale of resilience and the fight for justice in the face of overwhelming odds.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- somber
- compassionate
- serious movie night
- historical drama viewing
What critics said
Critics found the true story and performances compelling, especially Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster, but considered the film's conventional legal-drama treatment uneven and frustratingly generic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nancy Hollander and Teri Duncan build a defense against the U.S. government while Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch independently examines the prosecution's evidence.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi's imprisonment without charge is directly tied to the U.S. government's war on terror response.
The Guantánamo detention facility, interrogation rooms, and legal offices frame the characters' struggle against bureaucratic confinement.
Slahi's imprisonment and mistreatment are interwoven with Hollander's defense work and Couch's investigation into the government's case.
Films like The Mauritanian, and why
Just Mercy
shared true-story legal drama, institutional injustice, and morally serious courtroom tension
The Report
shared focus on state power, detention, torture, and an imprisoned protagonist's struggle for justice
A Few Good Men
shared courtroom advocacy, political repression, and emotionally charged historical subject matter
Hunger
shared prison setting, wrongful imprisonment, and resilient humanism under abusive institutions
Movie Details
- Director
- Kevin Macdonald
- Release Date
- 2021-02-12
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1344)
Cast
- Tahar Rahim
- Jodie Foster
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Shailene Woodley
- Zachary Levi
- Langley Kirkwood
- Saamer Usmani
- Corey Johnson
- Matthew Marsh
- David Fynn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Mauritanian about?
- A Mauritanian detainee and two determined lawyers confront the machinery of post-9/11 state power in a tense fight for justice and human dignity.
- What is The Mauritanian like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Mauritanian as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Mauritanian violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Mauritanian as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Mauritanian?
- Critics found the true story and performances compelling, especially Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster, but considered the film's conventional legal-drama treatment uneven and frustratingly generic.
- Which films are like The Mauritanian?
- Films with a similar feel include Just Mercy, The Report, A Few Good Men, and Hunger.
- How long is The Mauritanian?
- The Mauritanian runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Mauritanian?
- In United States, The Mauritanian streams on Philo.
