This documentary is brutal.
It depicts the torture that took place in places like Bagram, Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by US forces.
It starts with telling the story of an Afghan taxi driver named Dilawar who was mistaken for a terrorist and who died from the severe beating he took while in custody.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WX0MPcN08Zc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
The now-famous photos of prisoners being humiliated, tortured and terrified are also shown.
This film pulls no punches and the scenes it shows are more than disturbing , they are shocking.
Interviews with some of the torturers (some of whom faced disciplinary action) is interspersed with clips of US Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
It shows that the torture of suspected terrorists was permitted with a wink and a nod from higher ups.
"Taxi to the Dark Side" also reveals that a small number of those captured were actually caught by US forces. Many of them have been turned over to the US by locals, which is reminiscent of the McCarthy era in the US where people named names in order to ruin others.
The film also shows the different methods of torture employed.
Director Alex Gibney reveals a death certificate from a doctor who ruled the death of a detainee as a homicide. He shows how normally decent people can become evil if given the green light.
For those who believe the US does not torture, think again.
"Taxi to the Dark Side" is now available on DVD.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected]
