Powerful. One of the really pivotal indispensable documentaries of this decade. It will stand as an important historical record.
Over one hundred prisoners have died in suspicious circumstances in U.S. custody during the "war on terror". Taxi to the Dark Side takes an in-depth look at one case: an Afghan taxi driver called Dilawar who was considered an honest and kind man by the people of his rustic village. So when he was detained by the U.S military one afternoon, after picking up three passengers, the villagers wondered why this man was randomly chosen to be held in prison, and, especially, without trial. Five days after his arrest, Dilawar died in his Bagram prison cell. His death came within a week of another death of a Bagram detainee. The conclusion, with autopsy evidence, was that the former taxi driver and the detainee died due to sustained injuries inflicted at the prison by U.S. soldiers.
The documentary, by award-winning producer Alex Gibney, carefully develops the last weeks of Dilawar's life and shows how decisions taken at the pinnacle of power in the Bush Administration led directly to Dilawar's brutal death. The film documents how the former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, together with the White House legal team, were able to convince Congress to approve the use of torture against prisoners of war.
Taxi to the Dark Side is the definitive exploration of the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities, and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process.
Title: Taxi to the Dark Side
Format: DVD
Release Date: 17 Sep 2008
Actor(s): Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Willie Brand, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Jack Cloonan, Damien Corsetti, Thomas Curtis, Greg D'Agostino, Carlotta Gall, Tim Golden, Gita Gutierrez, Scott Horton, John Hutson, Maan Kaassamani, Eric Lahamm
Sku: 2112962
Catalogue No: SBS1240
Category: SBS
Disc Count: 1
OFLC Rating: MA15+
Run Time: 106
Region Code: 4
OFLC Advice: Strong Themes And Graphics Of Prisoner Abuse
Production Studio: SBS Television
Dubbed Languages: SBS Television
Genre: Special Interest, Documentary