Review of The Devil Came on Horseback (2007) by Jonathan B — 14 Oct 2007

The Devil Came on Horseback is an eye-opening look at the plight of people living in the Darfur region of Sudan. They are the subject of rape and murder at the hands of the Janjaweed militia and the Sudanese government.

It is without question that the residents of Darfur are in need of international attention and help - and the film very much makes an argument that that help should come from the U.S. I did not come away from this viewing feeling like I had a balanced perspective on what is going on in Darfur and would like to investigate further as the film spends less than 5 minutes explaining back story as to how and why this genocidal action began.

It was also uncomfortable to see the U.S. held up as this great savior compared to Islamic nations by one of the displaced persons who had crossed into Chad - it seemed a very simplistic distinction to draw.

I received a fact sheet from a "protester" outside the screening that called into question whether President Bush's interest in intervening would be more related to the plight of the people or for the chance to tap into Sudan's oil riches.

.. as cynical as that sounds, sadly I think it has to be considered given the recent history of U.S. military action.