Review of The Gatekeepers (2012) by Christopher Llewellyn R — 10 Aug 2013
Like "The Fog of War" (Errol Morris, 2003), "The Gatekeepers" is a documentary that takes a hard and critical look at military/intelligence actions and their consequences. In that first film, the thoughtful subject was former US.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. In this new film (one of the 5 Oscar-nominated documentaries from 2012), the subjects are the 6 living former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel's intelligence agency in charge of terrorism prevention, and they are all just as thoughtful and reflective as was McNamara.
Agree or disagree with them or their actions - and they don't all agree with each other - it is hard to accuse them of not being experts in their field. What emerges from their collective voice is a complicated (and depressing) portrait of modern Israel.
And while their mood may be dour and their outlook grim, perhaps the single biggest silver lining in their cloud of dread may be that such men - men who understand that actions have consequences - exist and are given this great responsibility.
A must-see movie.
This review of The Gatekeepers (2012) was written by Christopher Llewellyn R on 10 Aug 2013.
The Gatekeepers has generally received very positive reviews.
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