Review of Taxi to the Dark Side (2008) by James O — 16 Apr 2011

This film will always come under attack from soem quarters as the topic it covers is of a political nature, however, this topic should not divide political parties and the film doesn't pander to liberal ideals by placing the blame at the feet of the Bush firmament. It makes a more general appeal to the futility, inhumanity and indefensible hypocricy of torture. The question it really poses is whether Western society has tacitly acquiesced in the notion of torture as a bulwark against terrorism. This runs deeper than the political establishment and permeates popular culture and dinner table speak. That said, the negligent incompetancy of Rumsfeld and Cheney is plainly exposed by this film and should not be excused even by the staunchest Republican, unless the wish to be open to ridicule.

Another important question raised by the film, is the future of the intelligence service and how far they should go to extract potentially vital information from suspected terrorists. You'd hope after watching this film that the obvious answer reveals itself that you should act within the parameters of the Geneva Convention. Will the lessons be learne? Prorbaly not if history is anything to go by. A really excellent docu-film that everyone should watch and at least consider.