"Rendition" *** (out of four): Well-crafted political pot-boiler almost succeeds at being neither manipulative nor sensationalistic. Almost.

If you watch the TV series "24" (and I do) then you know how easy it is to force a confession out of someone. Step 1, call Jack Bauer. Step 2, leave the room. Step 3, ignore the screaming and come back just before the commercial break. The rest writes itself. Somewhere between FOX's preposterous but endlessly addictive Kiefer Sutherland series and reality lies "Rendition", a well-crafted political pot-boiler that almost succeeds at being neither manipulative nor sensationalistic – no small feat when dealing with hot-button topics like terrorism, torture and civil liberties.

Read more on BigPictureBigSound...