TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (2007) is a documentary by Alex Gibney, that won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (see the film website). It begins by uncovering the story of a man named Dilawar, an Afghan taxi driver who was murdered while in detention at Bagram Air Base, as a result of very sever torture at the hands of American soldiers. This story is used as an entry point for examining the U.S. policy on “harsh interrogations” — torture — and the CIA’s use of various torture techniques. We hear criticisms of the methods, as well as defenses, and the debate about the extent to which the U.S. has followed the Geneva Convention forbidding cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees. We hear from U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush, and attorney John Yoo.
