Taxi to the Dark Side poster & wallpaper

Brian Keith Allen, Greg D'Agostino, Karyn Plonsky

A stunning inquiry into the suspicious death of an Afghani taxi driver at Bagram air base in 2002, the film is a fastidiously assembled, uncommonly well-researched examination of how an innocent civil...( read more  read more... )ian was apprehended, imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately murdered by the greatest democracy on earth. Intermingling documents and records of the incident with candid testimony from eyewitnesses and participants, the film uncovers an inescapable link between the tragic incidents that unfolded in Bagram and the policies made at the very highest level of the United States government in Washington, D.C. Combining the cool detachment of a forensic expert with the heated indignation of a proud American who holds his country to a high standard, Gibney's film reveals how the Bush administration has systematically betrayed the very ideals it professes to uphold.

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90% liked it

3,505 ratings

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81 critics

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Alex Gibney

Release Date: April 28, 2007

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (678)

  • Beefy
    April 27, 2009
    Beefy
    Persuasive film about military conduct and the ideologies that led to the torturing and eventual death of one man in particular, and how his story is a microcosm for what led to the Abu Ghraib scandal. Powerful material, to be sure, and the one man's tragic tale is affecting, bu...( read more)t at the same time the film often feels one sided in it's presentation. For all the sanctimonious attitude, it never really offers up suggested solutions or alternatives for these complex problems. Nor does it differentiate between innocent prisoners and the guilty ones. By the end of the film, I felt there was no way of avoiding this scenario in the future. Cheery thought from any angle.
  • SarahG1988
    March 14, 2009
    SarahG1988
    Possibly one of the best documentaries that I've seen in a long while. well researched and not biased in anyway....and will leave you feeling a little pissed at what the Bush administration allowed to happen.

    More to follow soon....
  • kiriyamakazou
    January 28, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    This is an excellent documentary built on hard facts. It shows the outrageous lengths that the US will go to and how damaging and tragic their methods can be. It's also a saddening depiction of how when the shit finally hits the fan it lands on those at the bottom of the ladder. ...( read more)Decent soldiers with too little training thrust into very violent situations. It also gives a glimpse of the president that John McCain could have been, had he not given into pressures from those in charge. Deserved it's Oscar.
  • franktowers
    December 6, 2008
    franktowers
    internment camps
  • her69eyes
    November 3, 2008
    her69eyes
    I was initially incredibly hesitant to watch "Taxi to the Dark Side". First and foremost, we're all aware that the American military has relentlessly tortured suspected terrorists with a complete neglect of the Geneva Conventions. Knowing the horrors that lay ahead in a film like...( read more) this - why would one subject their self to watching such nauseating and despicable material? Also, in a time where our country seems less well off by the day, do we really need another film that bashes our government and soldiers? When can we get a film that shows the heart and drive of the people who fight for our freedom? However, "Taxi to the Dark Side" isn't completely just a political film. It's psychological, it's philosophical, and it's eye-opening... while many people may complain about the bias the film presents (especially those who haven't seen the film), it's nearly impossible to argue against director Alex Gibney once you see what he has to say.

    In December 2002, Dilawar, an Afghan, was taking his taxi to town to get some work. However, a paid informant informed the American military that he was a terrorist involved with a rocket attack earlier in the day, and therefore never returned home to his family. He was taken to the infamous American prison in Bagram, where he was beaten so viciously that he was dead within five days. His legs were literally "pulpified" - it would have been necessary to amputate had he survived the beatings. Gibney introduces us to the tragic and horrific story of Dilawar to humanize his material, and then brings us into the larger subject - negligence of government policies by the material, higher ups avoiding blame for their own wrong doing, and seemingly misguided and confused American soldiers.

    The documentary introduces is to an incredible amount of people - American soldiers, former politicians, and even a man who was held at one of these detention camps. At first, looking at pictures of American soldiers proudly dragging helpless Afghan men on leashes illustrates the "few bad apples" argument. We see humanity at it's worst, and we have enough faith that these are isolated incidents. What we don't know, however, is how deep this spans. The fact that there are more than a few despicable soldiers at work here. Sure, these soldiers in the pictures should not be forgiven - but the film argues that people such as the soldiers involved with Dilawar's homicide were simply misguided. One of these American's points out that it's easy to say you won't be apart of it here, but in Afghanistan it's another story.

    Although this film is very liberal material, I did not have a hard time looking past political conventions into a study of human nature. It's not so much about the nature of our government, rather the nature of people themselves. While figures like Bush and Cheney are clearly represented significantly in the piece - I never felt as though they were the focal point. Gibney doesn't appear to be suggesting that we go and picket the White House, he approaches the subject from a humanitarian perspective. It's a psychological study that just happens to center around topical political material.

    The biggest joy about Gibney's film is that it's so well-researched. I particularly loved hearing from a doctor who was studying sensory deprivation - suggesting that simply being blinded and ear-muffed is more torturous than physical pain. We also deal with the concept of how useless torture is, especially with these "non-violent" techniques. The same psychologist pointed out that these people will have literally been driven insane (and therefore useless) within days of the sensory deprivation. In one of the film's most astute observations, it really makes you rethink all those scenes in "24" where Jack and torture the baddies and get what he wants out of them with ease.

    What is also great about "Taxi to the Darkside" is how visually appealing and well-produced it is. There were a few "reenactment" type scenes here and there that were heavily edited that I felt added a great deal of flare to the film. While they weren't completely necessary, I felt that they certainly elevated the horrors of the story. For what's such a dark and horrifying film, it certainly is very impressive to look at.

    This should certainly be considered one of the most important documentaries of the decade. It's a film that takes a single incident and uses it as a persuasive device against all forms of torture - a film that can rewire even the biggest conservatives by simply humanizing Dilawar. I'm not very fond of political bias, particularly in film, and thankfully Gibney refrains from being so "pushy" that we never feel manipulated. He's the anti-Bill Maher. This is not an easy film to watch, but it's certainly eye-opening.
  • magnolia12883
    November 24, 2009
    magnolia12883
    Writer-director Alex Gibney's Oscar-winning documentary is a horrifying, unblinking and appalling account, confirming your worst fears about the terrible, no-good, very bad things that your government is up to in the name of protecting "freedom." It begins with an inquiry into th...( read more)e mysterious disappearance of Dilawar, an Afghan taxi driver who was sold out by a paid informant, named as a terrorist, and taken to Bagram Air Base, an American prison facility in Afghanistan, where he was subsequently tortured to death. Your hard-earned tax dollars at work, no? Gibney ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room") then takes to looking into the scandal over the torture going on at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib - the site of the infamous photos leaked of US soldiers "interrogating" (read: humiliating) prisoners beyond the call of "duty." Gibney gives us interviews with several US officials and former officials, all of whom testify with remarkable candor and, in some cases, remorse about the terrible things they did, or allowed their subordinates to do in the name of "national security." In 2006, Bush signed his own pardon, stretching just to himself and his Administration, leaving the soldiers who were following orders out to dry, to be court-martialed and given jail time for "doing their job." To do such things to another human being is wrong, no matter the reason. Should the soldiers in question have disobeyed such orders? It would be easy for any one of us sitting here to diagree with their decisions to go along with it, but it would be hard to resist if we were only in their shoes. Something to think about.
  • whopper50
    July 23, 2009
    whopper50
    Captivating movie. Really opened my eyes
  • IRubster
    July 22, 2009
    IRubster
    Shocking visual of the torture that took/taking place in Afghanistan.
  • Token13
    July 22, 2009
    Token13
    Not the best documentary I've ever seen, but it had its points on interest. The overall point of the subject is made very quickly, yet the film dwells on torture and the types of torture for about an hour. 'I get it!' was all I was thinking. It tries to dig deeper to wider and fo...( read more)r complex issues, but it never quite gets there. It's insightful, especially concerning the Terroists detainee treatment as all the prisons, but beyond that it lacks required depth to make this an amazing documentary.
  • tedbrogen
    June 20, 2009
    tedbrogen
    An enlightening and damning documentary into America's torture practices.

View All Taxi to the Dark Side Reviews

Critic Reviews

February 22, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

So disturbing, on so many levels, that it's hard to know where to begin. full review

February 8, 2008
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

As our society searches its conscience for the correct balance between preserving American lives and upholding American values, Gibney offers a crucial perspective to counterbalance the influence of e... full review

February 8, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Horrifying. full review

January 23, 2008
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Taxi to the Dark Side adds something new to our awareness -- interviews with soldiers who served as interrogators in Afghanistan, and in Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, and who, in some cases, ser... full review

January 18, 2008
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

If recent American history is ever going to be discussed with the necessary clarity and ethical rigor, Taxi to the Dark Side will be essential.

January 14, 2008
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Alex Gibney's Taxi to the Dark Side is the documentary that many of us have prayed for, the one that could break through even to people who relish the torture set pieces on 24 and will hear no evil ab... full review

View more Taxi to the Dark Side reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • dhuber03
    October 28, 2008
    dhuber03
    This movie showed up on a Top 20 Movie Poster List...and I agree, it's pretty awesome!
    http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/2008/10/26/20-amazing-movie-posters/
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