The Road to Guantanamo
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Afran Usman, Farhad Harun, Riz Ahmed, Shahid Iqbal (II), Waqar SiddiquiBrand: AHMED,RIZ
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Urdu (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.78:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-24
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Road to Guantanamo
Movie Review: A tale of three idiots yet well worth seeing
Summary: 5 Stars
Instead of Road to Guantanamo this film should have been titled These Guys Are Not the Sharpest Tools in the Shed. It follows the odyssey of three bearded weirdos from England who had been to Afghanistan before to train for the jihad and to listen to speeches by Osama bin Laden, and who decided to go back and shoot some infidels. They thought that would be all kinds of fun, but they went to northern Afghanistan with no weapons, very minimal training, and no idea where their unit was or whom their unit commander was or if they even had one. Instead of having a fun trip, they learned to their shock and amazement that the infidel they were planning to shoot is likely to shoot back. They were further shocked and amazed that when they were captured by the Northern Alliance they found out people in Afghanistan do not like foreign troublemakers coming into their country to fight for their enemies. If these clowns are typical products of the British educational system, things must be far worse in that country than anyone had hitherto suspected.
From the perspective of the beardos it gets worse. The Northern Alliance turns them over to US troops who seem to have a small minded attitude toward al Qaeda fighters. What they thought would be a fun trip in the hills was turning out to be not fun, not fun at all. After a major Taliban riot in a detention center run by the Northern Alliance in northern Afghanistan the US started using crowd control tactics with their detainees such as hooding them when they were being transported. It's hard to riot if you can't see what you are doing. The world was of course shocked, especially since these methods proved to be effective and there were no further riots. Hooded and shackled, the jihadis were transported to Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo, to the shock and horror of their jihadi supporters throughout the anti-American world. There they were subjected to military discipline, Marine style. Nobody pretends they were tortured, but they thought as jihadis plotting to kill the infidel they would be invited to crumpets and tea. The Marines are not noted for that sort of thing.
The CIA had pictures and videos of all these men at an Osama bin Laden speech, but they had the wrong date for the event. As a result the men, who were all professional criminals in England, could prove that they were in jail or on probation during the entire time the CIA thought they were in Afghanistan. The movie makes it appear that as career criminals they spent almost all their time in England in jail or on probation except when they were in al Qaeda training camps learning terror tactics. By this time the film makers expect you to be shedding tears from every pore for these guys, but somehow I was not able to dredge up much sympathy. I was left thinking they should still be at Guantanamo, and not necessarily above ground, either.
In short, the movie had an effect on me which was the exact opposite of the one the film makers had in mind, inasmuch as the Marines and not a troop of unshaven wack jobs from England seemed to be the heroes. But even though it fails miserably as a pro-jihadi tear jerker it is well worth a look see.
Summary of The Road to Guantanamo
Through reenactments, interviews, and news footage examines the imprisonment of a trio of British Muslims, known as the Tipton Three, held in Guant?anamo Bay for two years and released without charges being filed against them.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-MAY-2007
Media Type: DVD
After Welcome to Sarajevo and In This World, The Road to Guantánamo is Michael Winterbottom's most important film. Along with United 93, it's one of the most important films released by anyone in 2006. In the docudrama, which was produced for British television, Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross recount the travails of the Tipton Three, a trio of Britons detained for two years at Guantánamo Bay. How did these apolitical Muslims end up as suspected terrorists? The directors attempt to answer that question by inter-cutting interviews and news footage with recreations of their Kafka-esque journey. It starts with a trip to Pakistan for the wedding of Asif (Afran Usman). In short order, he's joined by Ruhel (Farhad Harun), Shafiq (Riz Ahmed), and Monir (Waqar Siddiqui). On a whim, they decide to visit Afghanistan: "One, for experience, and two, to help." It proves to be their undoing. First, they're caught in a bombing raid; then the Northern Alliance rounds them up as members of al-Qaeda. In the mêlée, Monir goes missing. The remaining three are shipped to Cuba, where US officials stop at nothing to coerce confessions. There?s a hard-won happy ending, but it isn't easy to watch--Alan Parker's Ollie Stone-penned Midnight Express seems downright lyrical in comparison. Further, the acting is inconsistent and the character development is sketchy. Those flaws aside, The Road to Guantánamo is powerful and provocative stuff. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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