saraccan This is a documentary about how torture was normalized by Americans post-9/11. We see interviews with "interrogators", victims and other people who were involved with these actions and decisions. We learn about the "interrogation techniques" they used to get the necesarry information they need and/or they want. Its helpful if you were completely oblivious to what happened during those years, if not its still good.

classicsoncall Combine the above sentiment voiced by one of the military men positioned as a prison guard in Iraq with the 'pressure to produce intelligence', and you wind up with the kind of conditions that existed at Abu Ghraib. Was it right? Of course not, and when all human dignity is taken away from a person with the brutal tactics shown in the documentary, it's difficult to understand that there may have been another side to the equation. I'm not condoning the actions of the personnel shown beating and humiliating their captives, but a film like this is never intended to show the flip side of the coin, that is, the atrocities committed by the other side. With entities like the Taliban or present day ISIS, there is no ambiguity in the way they treat their victims. Headless corpses don't get a chance to tell their side of things.

Michael_Elliott Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) **** (out of 4) Excellent, Oscar-winning documentary taking a look at the use of torture during the Bush administration. The documentary takes a look at a couple men who were beaten to death at the Bagram Prison including an Afghan taxi driver who picked up three passengers and was never heard of again until he was murdered inside the prison. Throughout the documentary we get interviews with experts on torture, journalists who broke the story and also with actual soldiers who were involved with the torture. Director Alex Gibney does a terrific job at looking at everything involved in this including the political and moral sides of it. The torture aspect is something that there are so many rules around that it would seem like an obvious thing not to do but we then learn about various loopholes that were used so that terrorists could be abused in order to get more information about terror plots. We also get to know how many of the soldiers who were arrested were made to look like bad apples yet they said they were just following orders. The documentary takes a look at all the torture acts ranging from water boarding, sexual humiliations and of course the actual physical abuse. The film shows some pretty graphic photos and videos so those squeamish will certainly want to be prepared to look away from the screen. The documentary is broken into several different segments with each looking at a different aspect of the story. One of the most interesting pieces involves the taxi driver because it turned out he was an innocent man who had no connection to terrorism. The documentary is one that really makes you think because if you go into it feeling that terrorists do deserve to be tortured, you're quickly reminded that several innocent people were being tortured and killed. The film even admits that many people believe that torture should be allowed under certain circumstances. TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE is a very disturbing documentary that shows some ugly images and makes you wonder who was in charge of all of this stuff. It's not an easy film to sit through but it's worth watching and discussing.

bryanmillsfist There is much sanctimony being expressed in the reviews of this wonderful example of propaganda. This film expresses the false humanity of many today in the US and around the world. These people are outraged over torture, yet ignore the fact that war involves something far worse-- killing. War is death and destruction. Why people are so up in arms over torture when people are being torn to shreds by bombs, IEDS, and bullets is beyond my powers of comprehension. Only the false humanists know why they they think in such a logically flawed manner.The most criminal aspect of this film is at of the director and the speakers.They are criminals who are willing to sacrifice your family for their ideals. That is sickening.To be sure the death of the taxi cab driver was shameful and people should be held accountable. But when it comes to self- defense everything and anything should be considered. Anyone who knows American history knows that is our way. From the asymmetrical warfare waged by the Swamp Fox to Sherman's March to the Sea to Hiroshima, the American people have exhibited a willingness to wage merciless warfare in order to achieve our end. That is one of our values. If you don't like that then you can kick rocks. I'll never blame Bush for doing all he could to protect Americans. Is some of it nasty? Yeah, but as previously noted, war is a dirty business no matter who you are. Name a war and you will find it find with a great number of mind numbing brutality.This works as a piece of simpleminded moralistic propaganda. But as a serious piece of analysis it fails. The abject failure of the director and those who think like them to grasp the essence of war ultimately makes this and other films like it, fodder for bonfires.