Do not be misled by the opening 10 - 15 minutes into thinking this is a routine FBI/terrorist thriller - it's not. This is almost entirely a film about torture and pain and how far "civilised" society is supposed to hurt one individual for the greater good of the many. Most of the action takes place at a secret goverment building where, with time running out to the possible explosion of three nuclear bombs on US soil, the suspect is subject to increasingly harsh measures by Samuel L Jackson's pain technician. While not over gory, the torture scenes will have you wincing and cringing even though stopping short of eye gouging, branding or removal of vital male appendages.
What's difficult to see is the message the producer/director are trying to get across? Is it a right wing movie suggesting that torture up to and including the physical harm of a suspects family is acceptable in extreme circumstances, or a left wing anti torture.
Anyhow those who felt for Michael Sheen's plight may gather some comfort from the very last moments of the film!