imagine you have just be on a plane for 18 hour . you have be on a business trip to south africa . you be a high pay professional . you have live in the u for 20 year . you be in your thirty and you have a wife a little boy and another baby on the way . one thing and even though you have a green card and you be still egyptian . on transit you be ask to come with 2 security guard and next thing you know you be overpower and hood and chain and after a brief ( but still reasonably civil ) interrogation you be to be render . this be what happen to anwar el ibrahimi at the beginning of the movie . his be a story of pain and ( literally ) torture . it one of several story line . one follow his wife attempt to get more information . one follow the ( cold ) bureaucrats behind the rendition . another story deal with the family of the man who lead the interrogation of anwar el ibrahimi . there be some other story too and by the end they all neatly come together . though the more famous actor like reese witherspoon ( a the distraught pregnant wife ) jake gyllenhaal ( a the cia rookie force to watch the interrogation in northern africa ) and meryl streep ( a cia hotshot corine whitman ) it be really the more unknown actor that carry the story and give it it heart . for me the actor play the unfortunate mr el ibrahimi ( omar metwally ) be the heart and soul of this movie . his portrayal of a man in distress be shockingly well do . it almost a if he be be torture for real . also israeli actor yigal naor be very impressive a the part worry family man and part extremely cruel chief of torture . hard to watch and not exactly fun and but still very worthwhile .