Soldiers in the Army of God

This is the best kind of documentary; one that rather than take a preachy stand on either side of the issue, shows you the point-of-view from both sides and lets you make your own judgment call. Actions always speak louder than words, though the participants here get to do a lot of talking, and their statements basically say it all. The fact that these extremists are more intelligent than one would expect, makes their fervent belief in their cause, and their willingness to do whatever is necessary to advance that agenda, that much more chilling. Perhaps the point best made by this doc is that if more talking were done, there might be a way to implement a better alternative to bombs, guns, assassinations and extra security at women's health clinics. At least in the cases of those who are willing to explore such possibilities. As for those whose fervor has passed from pathology into absolute dementia, that's a subject for a whole other documentary, one that would probably make a fitting sequel to this.

The highlight of this documentary is a chilling interview with Rev. Paul Hill, the Presbyterian minister who was executed in September of 2003 for killing two abortionists outside their clinic in Pensacola, FL. As Hill describes the events leading up to his decision to kill the abortionists, and the events of the day he put those plans into action, one wonders whether Hill, like abolitionist John Brown, may have stood at the fulcrum of history, warning a nation of impending and bloody doom.

Former hippy-dippy dope dealer Neal Horsley's rants about secession and his interaction with Bob Lokey, another eccentric and somewhat megalomaniacal ex-con activist, provide a colourful, eerie and personable backdrop for a film that leaves one wondering whether to laugh, cry, join The Creator's Rights party, or go out and shoot someone.

Here is a candid inside look into some strange characters who may even be granted the dignity of having a point, even though it is clear that much of what they say to the camera might otherwise have been said to an empty room. The atmosphere in an audience screening this documentary is quite charged, and it is a refreshing surprise when we encounter a few laughs along the way. Some of it is as sharp as any fictional satire, and the film's only misstep may be a recreation flashback to a doctor shooting which has music added and stylistic devices that are better suited for unsolved mysteries. This just doesn't fit in with the rest of the presentation, which takes its power from the fact that the participants and their actions speak for themselves. Words like "terroristic" are casually tossed about, and in spite of the fact that people on both sides of the issue seem a little skewed and in their own lopsided world, it leaves the audience with something to discuss. There is enough looniness that you may cringe with compassion for someone putting his foot into his mouth. And there is also some pretty smooth, focused and careful evasion displayed. You get a view of two kinds of extremist, the media savvy and the kook. The middle of the road is not very well represented, but that would be less compelling. I do not agree with the conceit that so-called rhetoric leads to violence. I think that everyone benefits from open discourse, and this film proves that giving someone a forum for free speech can be the best way to expose that person's nature and perhaps cast potential violence in a thoughtful light.