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Release Date: July 25th, 2007 (IFC Center) by Independent Film Circuit. Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. BASIC PREMISE: A documentary about the genocide in Darfur from the perspective of Brian Steidle, a former U.S. Marine. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle came to Sudan as a military observer and left with a new political and social agenda after witnessing the most brutal and horrific sights that he has ever encountered in his lifetime. The same can be said for anyone who watches The Devil Came on Horseback. Its title refers to the l Sudanese military, known as Jungaweed (Arabic for “devil on a horse), who have brutally raped and murdered non-Arab Sudanese in the Darfur region of Sudan. Brian Steidle snapped many photographs of the gruesome sights that he witnessed, including people burned, shot or stabbed to death. The photos he brought back with him to show around resulted in shock and, in some cases, disbelief from Sudanese living in the U.S. Co-directors Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg know that images sometimes speak loud than words and wisely focus on the many startling, haunting visuals of the atrocities in Darfur. It’s interesting that Steidle refuses to be labeled as a whistleblower and merely prefers to be someone who sheds light on harsh realities. If only he could blow his whistle louder, so-to-speak so that the U.S. government could at least try to end the violence, starvation and suffering in Darfur. That mission is a work-in-progress, but at least The Devil Came on Horseback shows disturbing, provocative images that will haunt viewers just like it did to Steidle. SPIRITUAL VALUE: It takes a powerful and shocking documentary like this one to wake people so that they at least acknowledge the horrors in Sudan. Action is at its best with the proper knowledge and, after all, knowledge is power. So with this knowledge, no matter how harsh it may seem to take in, people should be better prepared to take action and to have the power to help save the people of Darfur from further misery. INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: None. NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 0 IN A NUTSHELL: Disturbing, provocative and haunting. A powerful wake-up call to stop the Darfur genocide once and for all. RECOMMENDED WAY TO WATCH: Movie Theater Main Page Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu The "D" Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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