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The Forever Prisoner

Follows the story of Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value detainee subjected to the CIA's program, later identified as torture by those outside the agency.

Director

Alex Gibney

Year

Genre

documentary, crime

Box Office

N/A

Production

Jigsaw Productions,HBO Documentary Films

Awards

1 win

Homepage

https://www.hbo.com/movies/the-forever-prisoner

Cast information not available.

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In 2002, from a secret location
in Thailand - The Forever Prisoner

In 2002, from a secret location in Thailand

Nearly 20 years later,
the CIA has kept its promise. - The Forever Prisoner

Nearly 20 years later, the CIA has kept its promise.

There was a fear and fury
that gripped the nation after 9/11. - The Forever Prisoner

There was a fear and fury that gripped the nation after 9/11...

I was at the Pentagon on the day - The Forever Prisoner

I was at the Pentagon on the day

There was the fear
that the next attack - The Forever Prisoner

There was the fear that the next attack

There was a bedrock conviction
that the individuals - The Forever Prisoner

There was a bedrock conviction that the individuals

I don't think there was an American - The Forever Prisoner

I don't think there was an American

That was the national emotion - The Forever Prisoner

That was the national emotion

We did some really stupid things - The Forever Prisoner

We did some really stupid things

There was this expectation - The Forever Prisoner

There was this expectation

I looked out of my window - The Forever Prisoner

I looked out of my window

That's how... that's how frenetic
the atmosphere was at the time. - The Forever Prisoner

That's how... that's how frenetic the atmosphere w...

I think those first few days
were a struggle in the mind - The Forever Prisoner

I think those first few days were a struggle in the mind

They had failed
to the order of Pearl Harbor. - The Forever Prisoner

They had failed to the order of Pearl Harbor.

So, they were very afraid - The Forever Prisoner

So, they were very afraid

I want you all to know
this nation stands - The Forever Prisoner

I want you all to know this nation stands

I can hear you!
The rest of the world hears you! - The Forever Prisoner

I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you!

And the people who knocked
these buildings down - The Forever Prisoner

And the people who knocked these buildings down

- USA!
- USA! - The Forever Prisoner

with unmatched fury and force. - The Forever Prisoner

with unmatched fury and force.

Shock and awe in Iraq,
which led to ISIS... - The Forever Prisoner

Shock and awe in Iraq, which led to ISIS...

With all our money and might - The Forever Prisoner

With all our money and might

Live from Camp David - The Forever Prisoner

Live from Camp David

- Good morning, Tim.
- There have been restrictions - The Forever Prisoner

- Good morning, Tim. - There have been restrictions

If you are gonna deal
only with sort of officially-approved - The Forever Prisoner

If you are gonna deal only with sort of officially-approved

It is a mean, nasty, dangerous,
dirty business out there - The Forever Prisoner

It is a mean, nasty, dangerous, dirty business out there

But we need to make certain
that we have not tied the hands - The Forever Prisoner

But we need to make certain that we have not tied the hands

I knew with my experience - The Forever Prisoner

I knew with my experience

So, I was trying to think
of every conceivable - The Forever Prisoner

So, I was trying to think of every conceivable

I remember that morning - The Forever Prisoner

I remember that morning

I saw my fellow employees walking,
many running, to their cars. - The Forever Prisoner

I saw my fellow employees walking, many running, to their ca...

So, I thought to myself - The Forever Prisoner

So, I thought to myself

So, I closed the door to my office - The Forever Prisoner

So, I closed the door to my office

There was quite clear
with the threat like Al-Qaeda - The Forever Prisoner

There was quite clear with the threat like Al-Qaeda

So, people started looking around - The Forever Prisoner

So, people started looking around

The best we could do was 12 or 13 - The Forever Prisoner

The best we could do was 12 or 13

I came to the Senate from spending - The Forever Prisoner

I came to the Senate from spending

And I think the CIA truly believed,
Tenet particularly - The Forever Prisoner

And I think the CIA truly believed, Tenet particularly

After all,
they never passed information - The Forever Prisoner

After all, they never passed information

They wanted to be - The Forever Prisoner

They wanted to be

Notwithstanding the fact that
they weren't prepared - The Forever Prisoner

Notwithstanding the fact that they weren't prepared

But six days after 9/11 - The Forever Prisoner

But six days after 9/11

"Capture and detain
senior Al-Qaeda officials." - The Forever Prisoner

"Capture and detain senior Al-Qaeda officials."

But of course, prior to 9/11 - The Forever Prisoner

But of course, prior to 9/11

They would sometimes question people - The Forever Prisoner

They would sometimes question people

But we had never operated a system
where we would do the capturing - The Forever Prisoner

But we had never operated a system where we would do the cap...

So, again, this was
tabula rasa for us, at that point. - The Forever Prisoner

So, again, this was tabula rasa for us, at that point.

It was decided
the CIA would be responsible - The Forever Prisoner

It was decided the CIA would be responsible

By that point,
the military had stood up - The Forever Prisoner

By that point, the military had stood up

The thought was that would be
largely preserved - The Forever Prisoner

The thought was that would be largely preserved

The CIA did do research on detention - The Forever Prisoner

The CIA did do research on detention

Somebody said, "The thought
of holding someone endlessly - The Forever Prisoner

Somebody said, "The thought of holding someone endlessl...

I don't wanna be called back
from retirement to say - The Forever Prisoner

I don't wanna be called back from retirement to say

The interrogation program
was designed - The Forever Prisoner

The interrogation program was designed

Let me say that again to you,
we don't torture people, okay? - The Forever Prisoner

Let me say that again to you, we don't torture people, ...

I know that this program
has saved lives. - The Forever Prisoner

I know that this program has saved lives.

For years, the CIA promoted - The Forever Prisoner

For years, the CIA promoted

When critics tried
to sort truth from fiction - The Forever Prisoner

When critics tried to sort truth from fiction

The way I was thinking - The Forever Prisoner

The way I was thinking

We are scouting potential locations - The Forever Prisoner

We are scouting potential locations

And the event
that really propelled it, of course - The Forever Prisoner

And the event that really propelled it, of course

US officials tell NBC news - The Forever Prisoner

US officials tell NBC news

Intelligence reports indicate
that he was already planning - The Forever Prisoner

Intelligence reports indicate that he was already planning

Abu Zubaydah is the forever prisoner
at the heart of the story. - The Forever Prisoner

Abu Zubaydah is the forever prisoner at the heart of the sto...

Rather than fight
an endless legal battle - The Forever Prisoner

Rather than fight an endless legal battle

I cannot talk about... about him - The Forever Prisoner

I cannot talk about... about him

This is Boris. - The Forever Prisoner

Because they're free to trade places
with me any time - The Forever Prisoner

Because they're free to trade places with me any time

If you hear a little bit of agitation
in Mitchell's voice - The Forever Prisoner

If you hear a little bit of agitation in Mitchell's voi...

Finally, I came back - The Forever Prisoner

Finally, I came back

But I got a phone call, they said - The Forever Prisoner

But I got a phone call, they said

I was involved in the East Africa
embassy bombings - The Forever Prisoner

I was involved in the East Africa embassy bombings

So, Abu Zubaydah wasn't a character
that came out of nowhere to me. - The Forever Prisoner

So, Abu Zubaydah wasn't a character that came out of no...

Abu Zubaydah was an individual,
a terrorist, an operative - The Forever Prisoner

Abu Zubaydah was an individual, a terrorist, an operative

And that's why, at the time,
the FBI and the CIA - The Forever Prisoner

And that's why, at the time, the FBI and the CIA

Abu Zubaydah was captured
in a firefight in Pakistan. - The Forever Prisoner

Abu Zubaydah was captured in a firefight in Pakistan.

And he was immediately whisked - The Forever Prisoner

And he was immediately whisked

A couple of officers,
plus a medic and two doctors. - The Forever Prisoner

A couple of officers, plus a medic and two doctors.

They made it clear to us - The Forever Prisoner

They made it clear to us

They basically read us
these instructions of, hey listen - The Forever Prisoner

They basically read us these instructions of, hey listen

It changed the scope - The Forever Prisoner

It changed the scope

So, we got to this location,
pretty rural area. - The Forever Prisoner

So, we got to this location, pretty rural area.

It wasn't like we walked
into this nice, beautiful site - The Forever Prisoner

It wasn't like we walked into this nice, beautiful site

Next thing we know,
an ambulance gets there - The Forever Prisoner

Next thing we know, an ambulance gets there

Abu Zubaydah was finally captured
in Faisalabad, Pakistan. - The Forever Prisoner

Abu Zubaydah was finally captured in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

He had been shot a number of times,
mostly abdominal and in the leg. - The Forever Prisoner

He had been shot a number of times, mostly abdominal and in ...

But, and this was very strange
to both Ali and I - The Forever Prisoner

But, and this was very strange to both Ali and I

We went to the Chief of Base
and we said - The Forever Prisoner

We went to the Chief of Base and we said

You know about this guy, don't you?" - The Forever Prisoner

You know about this guy, don't you?"

Go and start interrogating him." - The Forever Prisoner

Go and start interrogating him."

The Forever Prisoner poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Follows the story of Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value detainee subjected to the CIA's program, later identified as torture by those outside the agency.

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: Alex Gibney

Writer: N/A

Production: Jigsaw Productions,HBO Documentary Films

Genre: documentary, crime

Year: 2021

MetaScore: 75/100

ImdbRating: 7.4

BoxOffice: N/A

Released: 06 Dec 2021

Awards: 1 win

Homepage: https://www.hbo.com/movies/the-forever-prisoner