"The Mauritanian" for the Oscar Race?
by Eric Blume
Yesterday, Variety leaked word that STX will provide a late-entry film into the Oscar race. The Mauritanian, which was formerly titled Prisoner 760 (going from one bad title to another), is The Last King of Scotland director Kevin Macdonald's latest film. It stars A Prophet's leading man Tahir Rahim as a tortured captive in Guatanamo Bay and Jodie Foster as his lawyer. Variety critic Clayton Davis claims that Rahim and Foster deliver electrifying performances, and that they could find themselves in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress races, respectively.
Macdonald has had a bit of an erratic career since he directed Forest Whittaker to an Oscar back in 2006. His last film, the documentary Whitney, profiled the singer with limited depth but curiosity and sympathy. It'll be good to see him return to the arena of global politics, which seems to be his strength...