Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle

Killing them safely is a brilliantly made movie that captivates the audience. The storyline is riveting, as it takes you through an incredible story. The movie does a great job of digging deep and looking at a bigger picture. Tying all of the recent incidents with TASERS, and tying it back to the founders was brilliant. The interviews in the movie were excellent, and they did a great job of getting great footage. It's not easy to get this type of content for a movie, but this movie does just that. They were able to ask the tough questions to the people at TASER, and in return got great content. Overall, as a non-fiction movie, Killing Them Safely has the intensity and intrigue of a great fiction classic. You are engaged throughout the entire movie, and can't wait to see what is uncovered next. Nick Berardini directed a true masterpiece, and I am excited to see what else he is able to come up with in the future. Definitely a bright future ahead.

Greetings again from the darkness. "Don't tase me, bro". In 2007, an incident at The University of Florida became a humorous viral sensation when a student, after asking John Kerry a question, was forcibly removed by police. His pleading became a catchphrase, but didn't prevent his being hit with the Taser. Now comes this documentary from director Nick Berardini, and he pulls back the curtain on the ethics of Taser International Corporation, the safety of tasers, and the protocol and use of this weapon by police officers.

We learn Jack Cover invented the taser in 1969, and it was the Smith brothers (Rick and Tom) who founded the Taser International company in 1993, increased the voltage output, and began marketing heavily to police departments as a safe alternative to firearms. The Smith's claim the taser is "the biggest revolution in law enforcement since the radio", though they spend the bulk of the movie giving evasive answers to variations of the question, "Is the taser safe or potentially deadly?" Director Berardini documents tragic events where police use of tasers ended with suspects dying. Doctors and lawyers chime in, but it's the testimonies of Tom and Rick Smith themselves that provide a level of creepiness that would complement most any horror film. Actual video footage is shown of not just the Smith brothers numerous depositions, but also of some of the actual events. Two of the most devastating are a man at the Vancouver airport, and a young man stopped for speeding directly across the street from his own house. The latter died after being tased … while his parents looked on. Neither appeared to be an immediate threat to the police officers. The film recounts incidents where kids as young as 6 years old, and women in their 80's have been hit with police tasers.

Reports show that more than 17,000 Law Enforcement Agencies utilize tasers, and one of the more interesting case studies is that of the Warren, Michigan Police Department. One of the early adopters of the weapon, this police department dropped the taser from use by their officers after a tragic incident. Since then, they have seen no increase in police injuries or shootings, drawing into question the company claim of a safer alternative.

At a minimum, the film should instigate further debates on two key issues: the safety of the weapons, and the training techniques and best use for police officers. The key concern seems to be a direct hit to the chest area which can immediately impact the victim's heart. It's frightening to think that police could be Taser-dependent or Taser-happy in using a weapon that may not be safe. We see some fascinating video of macho tough-guy cops being dropped immediately by one second (or less) tasers, but it's the events with multiple prolonged zaps that seem to cause the biggest concern. Again … this research is necessary and should be done immediately, given the widespread use of Tasers. As a side note, Taser International is still in the taser business, but their biggest revenue source is now police body cameras. Say what you will, but the company is certainly opportunistic.

Apparently when this came out the makers of the TASER were so infuriated that they review bombed it on Amazon. I can only assume the same happened here, too. How else to explain the strong feeling some reviewers have about the negative portrayal of a weapon that police are known and encouraged to abuse? There are some reviews that give weirdly low ratings and only seem to complain about the film being anti-TASER or not showing enough pro-TASER points of view. What a pathetic way to think about documentary filmmaking. If you want pro-TASER content it can't be that hard to find. To those who review bombed this: I can only assume that you are bad people.

First off I'm giving this a 5 out of 10, because the filmmakers did a good job with the one side to this story. I also think it is a bit curious that all the other reviewers that gave reviews that pointed out the film was extremely biased were overwhelmingly "unhelpful" reviews. Meanwhile the "This film changed my life!" reviews all got glaringly "helpful" reviews. This leads me to believe the filmmakers had all his or her friends "thumbs downing" all the negative reviews. For shame!

So I watch a lot of documentaries and sometimes you have to take a bit of bias with a grain of salt and sometimes it is warranted when atrocities are involved. The entire premise of this film hinges on the original claim that TASER International made that TASERs couldn't kill a human being. Well "armed" with the fact that over 128 people have died in the 15 or so years the modern TASER has been out, the entire film paints TASER as merchants of death. This is a prime critical thinking fallacy in that of 10's if not hundreds of thousands of people who have been "tazed", some have died while the filmmakers frame it so that it appears that there is an epidemic.

With that the filmmakers highlight several stories of either people misusing the devices, or the fluke instances where people reacted poorly and died. It's a shame, but as far as less lethal ways of stopping someone who is liable to hurt you or their self, having a 99%+ chance of "no" adverse effects? It's the most ideal tool out there. People lose sight that this is a tool intended for stopping someone who is going to harm others or their self. It's a tool for stopping further loss of life, not something that has a mind of it's own that goes out, hunts down victims, and purposely murders people. Removing the instances where the devices were used improperly there have been less than a dozen fatalities? As one of the TASER International brothers pointed out, more people are accidentally killed by falling coconuts than properly used TASERs on non- complying law breakers. Hey maybe law enforcement agencies should move to using coconuts? Although the exporter of coconuts would face litigation every other time a coconut resulted in a fatality.

I anticipate getting "thumbs downed" by all the filmmaker's friends for pointing out this might be one of if not the most biased film I've ever seen, but I have to support all the other "negative" reviews of this. Kind of interesting the exact same percentage of people that "thumbs up" the praising reviews are the exact same percentage that "thumbs down" the negative reviews huh? If the filmmakers highlighted how the TASER's have been misused and then illuminated how effective of a tool it is and has a remarkable safety record, then the viewer could make the logical deduction that the TASER is a valuable tool. Only showing the negative points and blatantly painting TASER International as villains will only serve to have people falsely make opinions of that company or product.

I guess every documentary is intended to make a point, but I watched this film with my jaw dropped because I couldn't believe how biased it is and how poorly the film maker defends his position. I registered w IMDb just to write this! Taser is to blame?? The film even highlights the fact that essentially 100% of deaths that occur following application of the Taser resulted from multiple / prolonged usage. The only fault I can find w Taser's founders is that they didn't immediately change training materials, etc, when reports of deaths started to suggest that multiple uses MAY result in death. As for their responses, I have to say... I would hope to have the presence of mind to answer in the same way. While some found their comments dodgy, I would argue that they truly are proud of what they've created and the fact that they have indisputably saved lives. Based on the information included in the film, the officers who used the Tasers too many times or in inappropriate situations are entirely to blame. And what is the alternative? More police brutality? Shoot subjects instead? I - as a regular citizen living in NYC - have seen situations go from seemingly normal to highly dangerous in seconds. I can't imagine what police officers may face on an average day. In their shoes, I would absolutely want to have a Taser as an option. I cannot imagine ANYONE walking away from this film thinking that we should ban Tasers altogether. Definitely a subject ripe for debate but, come on people. Let's make it an objective debate!