STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED

Classic

Excellent

Good

Fair

Tragic

FILM DETAILS

Certificate 12A

Cast Jacques Verges.

Directors

Screenwriters

Running Time 137 minutes

LATEST FILM REVIEWS A Single Man Ponyo On The Cliff Battle for Terra Beyond The Pole Food, Inc. 5 STAR REVIEWS Precious Red Balloon, The Up In The Air Avatar Departures

Terror's Advocate (12A)

Plot
A documentary about Jacques Vergès, the controversial lawyer who defended unpopular figures such as Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Carlos The Jackal.

Review

Jacques Vergés is an enigma shrouded by mystery inside a conspiracy. An anti-colonialist since his childhood, Vergés was a student friend of Pol Pot and made his name defending Algerian heroine Djamila Bouhired before taking on less salubrious clients like Klaus Barbie and Carlos The Jackal. But while this confident charmer is the nominal subject of this fascinating and deeply disconcerting documentary, Barbet Schroeder is as interested in Vergés's fellow travellers, who forge alarming links between Nazism, various Islamic jihadists, the Red Army Faction and the Stasi. Moreover, Schroeder refuses to skirt the awkward questions about France's conduct in maintaining its crumbling empire. With on-screen footnotes explaining the intricacies of global terror, this is a superbly researched and structured provocation that reveals how dark and dangerous our world really is.

Verdict
A superbly researched and structured provocation.


Reviewer: David Parkinson

Get this review and thousands more on on your iPhone, download the Empire Movie Guide now!

Write Your Review
To submit your own review and rating please login or register.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO EMPIRE

Subscribe And Get X-Files Season 1 DVD Get the entire first season of the classic sci-fi series on DVD when you subscribe to Empire magazine!

CURRENT HIGHLIGHTS
		Colin Firth on A Single Man The Oscar nominee discussed his stunning latest role
		Benicio del Toro on The Wolfman The star talks delays, reshoots and getting furry...
		10 Egregious Oscar Snubs The worthy contenders that the Academy overlooked
		Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes The winners and losers when actors play real people
		Movie Poster Mashups #56 Browse your iPod, iPad and Apple-related movie poster mashups