{"id":1907,"date":"2008-06-30T10:09:02","date_gmt":"2008-06-30T09:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=1907"},"modified":"2008-06-30T10:43:05","modified_gmt":"2008-06-30T09:43:05","slug":"dvd-pick-taxi-to-the-dark-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2008\/06\/30\/dvd-pick-taxi-to-the-dark-side\/","title":{"rendered":"DVD Pick: Taxi to the Dark Side"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Taxi to the Dark Side<\/a> <\/strong>is a riveting and deeply disturbing exploration of the Bush administration’s policy on torture<\/a> and interrogation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It focuses on the controversial death in custody of an Afghan<\/a> taxi<\/a> driver named Dilawar<\/a>, who in 2002 was beaten to death by US soldiers at the Bagram Air Base<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Directed by Alex Gibney<\/a> (who made the 2005 documentary Enron: The Samrtest Guys in the Room<\/a>) it examines in clinical detail the events surrounding Dilawar’s death, featuring interviews with the troops who caused it and contributions from many figures involved in the story.<\/p>\n

The film is meticulous in examining the evidence and explores how the court-martialed soldiers involved were acting upon ambiguous policies that tacitly encouraged torture.<\/p>\n

It also makes the connection between the detention tactics used at Bagram and those at Abu Ghraib<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gibney interviewed a highly impressive array of contributors including: Carlotta Gall<\/a> and Tim Golden<\/a> (the New York Times<\/a> journalists who helped uncover the story); Alberto J Mora<\/a> (retired General Counsel<\/a> of the U.S. Navy<\/a>)<\/span>; Lawrence Wilkerson<\/a> (formewr chief of staff to Colin Powell<\/a>); Jack Cloonan<\/a> (former FBI special agent) and Clive Stafford Smith<\/a> (a lawyer who respresents detainees at Guantanamo Bay<\/a>).
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Back in February the film deservedly won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature<\/a> and is one of the most important to be released in the last five years.<\/p>\n

Revolver<\/a> have done a fine job with the UK DVD<\/a>, with over 70 minutes of extra footage including:<\/p>\n