Alex Gibney
Using the torture and death of innocent taxi driver Dilawar--who was arrested in 2002 by American troops and sent to Bagram military prison--as its central focus, Alex Gibney's Taxi to the Dark Side is a damning indictment of the United States' War on Terror after the 9/11 attacks. As Alex Gibney builds his case, we see shocking photos depicting the interrogators' tools--forced standing and nudity, dog attacks, electrocution, sleep deprivation, and waterboarding--which served as a blueprint for the Abu Ghraib prison complex in Iraq. Military officers and lawyers tell their side of the story, and questions arise. How could young soldiers figure out who the actual enemies were among a group of militiamen and farmers in an entirely foreign society? In the end, does torture create more enemies?—Nick Riganas