ROME (AP) _ Jake Gyllenhaal said Sunday his new movie, "Rendition," shows that torture is wrong, but it also questions whether it might help save lives in the fight against terrorism.
The film, which also stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, focuses on the practice of extraordinary renditions, or transferring terrorism suspects to other countries where their interrogators could abuse or torture them.
The U.S. government has said it only uses renditions after it is assured that transferred prisoners will not be subjected to torture.
The movie tells the story of an Egyptian-born man suspected of involvement in a Middle East bombing who is abducted by U.S. authorities and sent overseas for questioning at a secret facility.
"It says that torture is wrong. I think you can see in the film that it does not work," Gyllenhaal told a news conference after the movie was screened at the Rome Film Festival.
"But I also think it presents the political side of it, too, which is saying that you could be torturing one innocent man, but at the same time 5,000 people are alive ... because of information that the government elicited through (extraordinary) rendition."
Gyllenhaal plays a CIA analyst who comes to question the U.S. government's sanctioning of the practice.
Director Gavin Hood, whose South African drama "Tsotsi" won the 2005 foreign-language Oscar, said he hoped the film would spark debate about the practice of extraordinary renditions.
"It is easy to talk about arbitrary detention and enhanced interrogation techniques and all these fancy words in the abstract," Hood said. "(Then) we realize that in fact it is about people, not just the people to who it happens, but the people who are involved in having to do this."
Celebrities
Related Photos
-
RICCARDO DE LUCA
October 22, 2007
GYLLENHALL: Actor says his new film, 'Rendition,' shows that torture is wrong
- Celebrities
-
- Viola E. Starkweather
- Elsie P. Bradley
-
CAUGHT: Paul McCartney photographed kissing NYC woman in the Hamptons
The encounter between McCartney, 65, and Nancy Shevell, 47, a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, was last weekend, according to The Sun of London, which published the pictures.
-
CMA AWARDS: Vince Gill's 4-disc masterwork could be surprise winner for album of the year
When it comes to surprises, the Country Music Association Awards usually don't have much to offer.
- WON'T DO ANYTHING: Meat Loaf scraps European tour due to vocal cord cyst The 56-year-old rocker will have four to six weeks of vocal therapy before doctors decide whether he needs surgery, said a statement posted on his Web site Tuesday.
-
MUSIC REVIEW: Against all odds, Britney Spears' new 'Blackout' is her best album ever
Just when it seemed safe to write off Britney Spears as a punch line only capable of entertaining people through tabloid escapades, she goes and gets all musically relevant on us.
-
JAY-Z: Fans get an early listen to his 'American Gangster' album at VH1 concert taping
On a studio lot for VH1's "Storytellers" series, Jay-Z, along with a full band, performed several tracks from the album inspired by the upcoming Denzel Washington-Russell Crowe flick.
- MOVIES ROCK: Underwood, Beyonce and Elton John among performers at first-ever concert in LA The event will be held Dec. 2 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, and will air Dec. 7 in a two-hour special on CBS. The concert is a production of Conde Nast Media Group in conjunction with the Producers Guild of America and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
-
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Marie Osmond laughs off her brief fainting spell on ABC's show
Osmond and her partner, dancer Jonathan Roberts, the first performers on Monday night's show, had just finished a samba and were listening to comments from the judges when she suddenly toppled.
-
GYLLENHALL: Actor says his new film, 'Rendition,' shows that torture is wrong
The film, which also stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, focuses on the practice of extraordinary renditions, or transferring terrorism suspects to other countries where their interrogators could abuse or torture them.
- More Celebrities Headlines
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate'
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
