Taxi to the Dark Side

Taxi to the Dark Side
Company type	Documentary film
Industry	Film
Founded	2007; 19 years ago
Founder	Alex Gibney
Products	Documentary film

Taxi to the Dark Side is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Alex Gibney, with production credits to Gibney, Eva Orner, and Susannah Shipman. It received the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The documentary explores the December 2002 death of Afghan taxi driver Dilawar, who succumbed to injuries inflicted by American soldiers during his detention and interrogation at a secret facility located at Bagram air base.

As part of the Why Democracy? documentary collection produced by The Why Foundation, it was aired in more than 30 countries in October 2007. Additionally, the BBC included it in its Storyville documentary lineup.

Overview

Taxi to the Dark Side scrutinizes U.S. interrogation and torture policies, focusing particularly on the CIA's use of torture and experiments involving sensory deprivation. The film delves into controversies surrounding the legality and morality of torture, congressional attempts to enforce the Geneva Convention, and how torture has been depicted culturally, including in television series such as 24.

Plot

The narrative centers on Dilawar, an Afghan peanut farmer who later became a taxi driver, and who died following repeated beatings at the Bagram detention center. In late 2002, Dilawar and three other men were turned over to U.S. troops by a local warlord—who was subsequently convicted for orchestrating the attack they were accused of—profiting from handing over supposed terrorists.

Registered under prisoner ID BT421 at Bagram, Dilawar endured intense blows to his thighs—a method deemed "acceptable" by U.S. forces—that likely resulted in a fatal blood clot. His death was officially recorded as "homicide"; medical examinations revealed severe damage to his legs that would have necessitated amputation had he survived.

This case is framed within the broader context of post-9/11 authorized torture practices that contravened the Geneva Convention, spotlighting abuses such as those at Abu Ghraib. The documentary features interviews with journalist Tim Golden from The New York Times, former detainee Moazzam Begg, interrogator Damien Corsetti, Sgt. Anthony Morden, and Captain Christopher Beiring, who was the sole officer charged (for dereliction of duty).

It discloses that out of more than 83,000 individuals detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan up to 2007, 93% were captured by local militias motivated by bounty rewards. Among these detainees, 105 died while in custody, with 37 deaths officially classified as homicides. The film also investigates how comparable interrogation methods were implemented at Guantánamo Bay.

Release

The documentary debuted on April 28, 2007, at the Tribeca Film Festival held in New York City.

Reception

Taxi to the Dark Side appeared on numerous critics’ top ten lists for 2008. It was ranked fifth by Premiere and seventh by Bill White of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The film boasts a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 8.34/10. The critical consensus describes it as "an intelligent, powerful exploration into the darkest aspects of the War on Terror." On Metacritic, it earned a score of 82 out of 100, signifying "universal acclaim."

Awards

In November 2007, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences included the documentary among 15 contenders for the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category, ultimately awarding it the prize on February 24, 2008. During his acceptance remarks, director Alex Gibney honored Dilawar, an Afghan taxi driver, along with his father, a naval interrogator whose story inspired the film.

The film was also honored with a Peabody Award in 2007 for its compelling evidence that the abuses shown were part of an authorized policy. Furthermore, Gibney earned the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay at the 60th Writers Guild of America Awards.

Censorship allegations and legal disputes

Although the Discovery Channel secured broadcast rights to Taxi to the Dark Side in June 2007, it announced in February 2008 that it would not air the documentary, citing its "controversial" content and prompting accusations of self-censorship. Later, HBO acquired pay-per-view rights and aired the film in September 2008. Following this broadcast, Discovery Channel expressed intentions to schedule a showing of the documentary in 2009.

In June 2008, Alex Gibney’s production company initiated arbitration proceedings against distributor THINKFilm, claiming insufficient promotional efforts and limited distribution following both the theatrical release and Oscar recognition. Gibney pursued damages, noting that by mid-2008 the film had only generated $250,000 in revenue due to inadequate marketing.

External links