Shadow Company (2007)

86% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(1,135 ratings)

Filmmakers Jason Bourque and Nick Bicanic explore the trend of private militaries around the world in this documentary examining the increasingly blurred distinction between soldier and mercenary. In a time when powerful multinational corporations are contracting private mercenaries to fight wars,… More Filmmakers Jason Bourque and Nick Bicanic explore the trend of private militaries around the world in this documentary examining the increasingly blurred distinction between soldier and mercenary. In a time when powerful multinational corporations are contracting private mercenaries to fight wars, the risks of allowing profit-motivated conglomerates to outsource war are chilling. Who do these private armies answer to, and what are the motivations of their financers? The private military draws in over $100 billion in annual revenues, and despite the fact that there are over 70,000 "employees" in Iraq alone, the majority of the public remains completely unaware of it. 300 star Gerard Butler narrates a film that aims to open the eyes of everyday citizens to a potentially disastrous situation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Jason Bourque, Nick Bicanic
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Apr 16, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Oct 28, 2008

Critic Reviews

Maureen M. Hart, Chicago Tribune
Shadow Company provides a pretty thorough examination of the unknown soldiers doing a lot of the heavy lifting there, outside the conventional rules of warfare.
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
Drawing a line between official and unofficial forces is irrelevant since both are paid with our taxes, Shadow Company throws light on that bottom line in the war on terror.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Though it offers interesting stories, Shadow Company does feel a little scattered.
Peter Debruge, Variety
Shadow Company is a lesson in how to get audiences who know little and care even less about the Iraq War to sit up and pay attention.
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
There isn't as much exposé as you might expect in Shadow Company, but there's considerably more thoughtfulness.
Ed Halter, Village Voice
Shadow Company attempts to provide a balanced view of a potentially polarizing issue, interviewing historians, security firm heads, war journalists, and former contractors themselves (the Army declined).
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
This documentary touching on both the historical evolution and contemporary phenomenon of mercenaries feels uncomfortably like a promotional campaign for private security firms, as they're more euphemistically termed.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
Should be seen by anyone who still romanticizes war, the troops, or the stated motives behind any sort of military conflict.
Paul Malcolm, L.A. Weekly
[A] fascinating, evenhanded documentary.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Contrary to the popular image of the gung-ho cowboy contractors, they can and do take into account ethical frameworks.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
If the film is engaged in some sort of screen spin regarding the dubious history of mercenaries, or a whitewashing of their activity in Iraq, the ongoing deplorable destruction and death visited upon that nation, on the contrary, speaks for itself.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Beneficiado por entrevistados com vasta experiência em uma indústria pouco conhecida do público em geral, o documentário traça um retrato alarmante e informativo sobre a atividade de mercenários no Iraque e em outras regiões do planeta.
Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
A fascinating documentary, shining some needed light on the individuals who are called upon more and more to take fill in the gaps left by a diminished standing military.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Walter M

"Shadow Company" is an eye-opening documentary about the history and current state of military contractors(or mercenaries, if you like) with a special emphasis on the Iraq War. For a start, this is nothing new which is how countries did business until the rise of the nation… More
"Shadow Company" is an eye-opening documentary about the history and current state of military contractors(or mercenaries, if you like) with a special emphasis on the Iraq War. For a start, this is nothing new which is how countries did business until the rise of the nation state in the 19th century, when soldiers were started to be rewarded with a sense of duty and patriotism more than money. After the white minority government was removed in Rhodesia, the white soldiers went to South Africa. And they were again out of work with the fall of Apartheid, setting up their own company, Executive Outcomes, in response. According to "Shadow Company," a lot of military contactors act as bodyguards and security personnel in potentially hostile situations.(For this reason, one commentator deems them as evil, since they potentially keep away things from people who might badly need them.) Their stock price, unlike most other businesses, went through the roof after 9/11 and they do a steady business in Iraq, even replacing some departing coalition troops, where an "accountability gap" also exists.(Contractors were killed in Fallujah because the insurgents thought they were CIA.) As some contractors testify, cowboy tactics are frowned upon, as training in the rules of engagement are provided, especially when dealing with the military. And mercenaries overthrowing third world governments is total fantasy, as the situation in Equatorial Guinea proved once and for all.

Cast

Gerard Butler
as Narrator
Peter Singer

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Shadow Company (2007)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

Cast

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