In the aftermath of September 11, the American government's unacknowledged program of extraordinary rendition'' has ignited heated debate between civil liberties and human rights groups.

The unspoken policy reportedly allows the CIA to abduct foreign nationals, who have been deemed a threat to national security, and to detain and interrogate them in secret overseas prisons.

Critics of the practice claim some suspects have endured physical and mental torture; allegations fiercely denied by the upper echelons of power.

Gavin Hood's skilfully crafted thriller explores the devastating impact of one rendition on two seemingly unconnected families, living hundreds of miles apart.

The film addresses the complex political and moral issues with flair, walking that perilously thin line between right and wrong, where an act of brutality could save a life, or just as quickly end it.

In the wake of a terrorist bombing, Egyptian-born chemical engineer Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), who emigrated to America with his family when he was a boy, is detained during his flight from Cape Town to Washington DC.

Under the guise of extraordinary rendition'', he is spirited abroad where Abasi Fawal (Igal Naor), head of a secret prison, is given free rein to coax a confession out of the prisoner, overseen by CIA analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal).

The American observer is horrified by Abasi's interrogation' techniques and contacts the CIA's head of terrorism, Corrinne Whitman (Meryl Streep).

Back home, Anwar's pregnant wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) tries to locate her missing husband, using her personal connection to senator's aide Alan Smith (Peter Sarsgaard) to grease the cogs of power.

She refutes claims that Anwar missed his flight by producing their credit card statement.

As the aide digs deeper, he discovers the disturbing truth.

Meanwhile, Abasi has personal problems to deal with, namely the troubling relationship between his beloved daughter and her boyfriend, who has ties to a radical Islamic group.

Rendition is slickly scripted by Kelley Sane, who cuts back and forth between the various storylines with aplomb, dropping an almighty narrative bombshell in the closing minutes which you don't see coming.

Gyllenhaal and Witherspoon both disappoint, their characters are blank canvasses, and Streep chews scenery without breaking a sweat as the fierce political beast, who coolly confides, "Honey, this is a nasty business."

North African sequences resonate with far more emotional power, undone by a final sequence back in America that seems too neat and upbeat by half.