Shadow Company

I saw the trailer for this film and having worked in Iraq was intrigued by it and never heard another peep about the film. I did a trawl recently looking for it after a conversation in which I remembered it (thank goodness for youtube as had forgotten name) and then went to the website and bought it.

There is much said about the security world and this really is an incredibly well balanced documentary. It shows the good and the bad, the professionals and the idiots. Mostly it is an incredibly well made film, everything is explained well, the editing is slick, the interviewees are varied and incredibly knowledgeable.

If you want to begin to understand the private security world this is a must see, it is also a must see if you want to try and understand Iraq and its reconstruction.

Well done on such a good production.

An impressive documentary for several reasons: for offering an invaluable glimpse into a hidden component of modern warfare that may have grave consequences for the future; for infusing a sense of style (and even humor where appropriate) into the story, breathing new and much needed vitality into the realm of political documentary; and for posing the right questions to the right people and not ramming the answers down viewers' throats.

It's seems that these filmmakers have no agenda other than making a good film and shedding light on a dark subject--refreshing to say the least. Well worth seeking this one out.

Almost everything you ever wanted to know about mercenaries, Shadow Company objectively provides historical background as well as poses questions on the importance of being informed about contract military today.

The filmmakers neither condemn or glorify those who chose this line of work, although in the backlash against military in general after Abu Ghraib stories broke, it may appear to be more sympathetic to at least some of the subjects in the film. In fairness, it is balanced, and focuses not on the right or wrong of contract military/security firms, but on history, structure, and how they fit into global military action, from Sierre Leone to Iraq.

It's a thoughtful, articulate documentary.

This is a review of the DVD.

Shadow Company is a compelling film about men for hire who go into very dangerous places in the world to act as security agents for companies; to fight for governments; or whoever hires them. They are apolitical and are seemingly very good at what they do. The film takes no sides, doesn't pull any punches, shows us just how dangerous and bloody fighting in todays troubled hot spots is.

Some graphic footage of burning bodies may be disturbing but it did happen. There are about 20,000 mercenaries in Iraq at present. Others are in African countries where there is civil war. Some are in Afghanistan; or any place that is dangerous and there is need for men-with-guns; i.e. security agents.

Film-makers Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque were successful in getting the complete cooperation and trust of the mercenaries, called private security contractors, and through interviews and following along, we have a look at their day. Two of them, (Slavko Itic & Corbus Claassens) are articulate and matter-of-fact about the way things are in their jobs. The most horrific details are recounted with no histrionics. It is just the way it is. The extras are a great watch too. One long interview with Claassens recounts a hilarious story about a blow up doll. It's odd and a little scary. If the the guy in their company was just kidding, it would be one thing. But it sounded like he actually had conversations and 'fights' with his 'wife.' Yes, folks, he married his 'doll.' I won't spoil the rest of the story by further comment, but it is seriously strange - and very funny.

The commentary by Nick and his partner, Jason, gives some more insight into what they did and why they picked certain parts and places to film . And how a lot of the film is shot in natural light and why.

All in all I am so glad I had a 'headsup' on this film. Interesting subject which needs to be explored. Interesting people I for one would never have known about. Thought provoking. I rated it 10/10.

From the description, I expected Shadow Company to be a condemnation of privately run military companies, however the actual film turned out to be very well balanced and well put together.

The film grabs varying viewpoints, from the soldiers in the field, to the executives that hire them, to ethics experts and more. The film looked at the issue from historical, financial, ethical, and effective standpoints.

The film added liveliness and interest through clever use of overlays and cut-away scenes. It managed to add elements of humor from time to time that helped the film feel much less dry than other documentaries.

The best part about the documentary is that it did not attempt to sell me a particular viewpoint. It left me still pondering everything that I had seen on the screen, and attempting to decide what I really felt about the issue.

In total, one of the finer documentaries I have ever seen.