Expected more

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

This film examines changes after 9/11 in U.S. policy toward suspects in the war on terror. Soldiers, their attorneys, one released detainee, U.S. Attorney John Yoo, news footage and photos tell a story of abuse at Bagram Air Base, Abu Ghraib, and Guantanamo Bay. From Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Gonzalez came unwritten orders to use any means necessary. Taxi to the Dark Side will entertain fans of the whole documentary, war stuff but for viewers who wanna be truly entertained and wait for something better? It's a must not watch easily. (0/10)

Taxi to the Dark Side is a very difficult documentary to watch but I believe it is essential to see it nevertheless. It seems like the rumors about torture in Guantanamo Bay have always been around but when you see what was going on in such detail, it will make your blood run cold. This film is yet another proof in which we can see how corrupt and diabolical some politicians can be, I think it is honest to say that the ones shown in the film are borderline psychopaths. The fact that they have so much power is terrifiying and sad. Another sad thing is how untouchable they seem and people in lower ranks and postions always pay the price for their actions and are used as scapegoats.Be prepared for this one since it is anything but an easy watch. It is a very well made documentary that points out serious matters that the world should see. It will not leave you cold and it will make you think hard about human nature, morality etc. I believe it will have an especially strong effect on all American viewers since they lived under the government that allowed these atrocities. Here you can see all of their true colors.

Originally filmed to be one of the documentaries to take part in BBC (British Broadcasting Service) 'Why Democracy?' 2004 film series, which consists of ten documentary films from around the world questioning and examining contemporary democracy. Taxi to the Dark Side really outshine the other films, to become one of the best documentary films ever. Directed by filmmaker Alex Gibney, the film examines the USA's policy on torture and interrogation in general, specifically the CIA's use of torture and their research into sensory deprivation, by showcasing the story of an Afghan taxi driver named Dilawar, whom was beaten to death by American soldiers while being held in extrajudicial detention at the Parwan Detention Facility, during the first years of War in Afghanistan (2001-2014). However, due to its controversial nature of opposition to the use of torture from political and military opponents, and its failure to gain a television station to broadcast after its production end; its message was shelf for years. It wasn't until 2007 that people got to see it, in limited theaters. Even with that, not a lot of people saw it. It wasn't until 2009, that this documentary finally got broadcast with Discovery Channel to the majority of main-steam audiences with warnings of disturbing images, and content involving torture and graphic nudity. It was here, that I finally got to see it. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, Taxi to the Dark Side accomplishes what a documentary like this, is supposed to do. It shows the utmost disgusting things about the war in multi-faceted way. The film approach isn't as narrow-minded as some critics make it, out to be. It shows a lot of things. While, the movie is mostly about the 2002's Bagram torture and prisoner abuse, it also showcase the facts that lead to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse in Iraq in 2003, and the abuse at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. It also displays the legal loopholes that upper government officers were doing, so not to allow capture terrorists to have the same rights of normal capture soldiers which is protect under the standards of the Geneva Convention. Yes, I do understand the film would seem a bit one-sided and bias to certain audience members, since some of the rigorous interrogation tactual, do work. However, in my opinion, all these crude acts is morality wrong, no matter, how much, they say that torture works. Also, this movie also shows the flaws of torture. What makes this story even more tragic, is how Dilawar was an innocent man, who was at the wrong street at the wrong time, who had no information about any attack or terrorists. It's sad to hear that, brutal things happen to him, for a crime, he didn't committed. This shows that sometimes, the information gather by torture victims is un-liable, and full of mistakes. It's also sucks to hear that most of the higher ups, that allowed this torture to happen on these bases, were never prosecuted for their crimes. Many of them, were pardon by laws, they made or by blaming the blame on lower enlisted personnel scapegoats. Despite that, in my opinion, the best thing about this movie is how it shows positive solution to the problems, such as asking for stronger methods to the government uphold the standards of the Geneva Convention forbidding torture and allowing more peaceful negotiation. I also love how this film was able to get interviews from most of the people involve with these cases. All of the talking heads, gave some very important information. I also how well-edited, 'Taxi to the Dark Side' was. All of the reenactments mixed with archive footage was well-crafted. It's hard to find a fault about this film. If anything, I didn't like how certain imagery were reappear over and over again frequently out of context. Another is how badly structure, the film points are. Its message seem to jump around, a lot. Despite that, it was a good movie. The film was so good, that it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2007. Overall: I have to say, this complex well-researched & well-documented film is a real eye opener. It's a must-watch for anybody whom is interested in what happening in the world, today. I highly recommended 'Taxi to the Dark Side'. Go see it.

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.