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Terror's Advocate is directed by Barbet Schroeder (Barfly),
and features appearances from numerous individuals over
the years, mostly in the form of archival footage. ***
Terror's Advocate is a documentary based on the life
of Jacques Verges. Verges was a member of the Free French
Forces, and later gained notoriety as a lawyer who defended
some of the most detestable figures in history, from Klaus
Barbie to Slobodan Milosevic. Through extensive usage of
archive footage, the presentation paint's a clearer picture
of this much-loathed man. ***
Terror's Advocate, despite its wildly controversial
subject matter, is one of the most entertaining documentaries
of last year. Director Barbet Schroeder puts all of the
tools at his disposal to good use here - archival footage
and research going back several decades, to name a few.
It's tough to tell if Schroeder is trying to make us sympathize
with Verges, or make us loathe him all the more with his
not-so-pleasant resume of clients. Either way, I found this
film to be one of the best documentaries to come along in
a while. ***
The information in the film is all put together well,
and beautifully paints a picture of Verges and the controversial
life he has led. All of the research has been assembled
well, and the archival footage only further helps to delve
deeper into the mind of a man whose reputation is loathsome
at best, with the clients he serves. Schroeder's film never
feels biased, and above all, it sheds new light on an old
subject. If you were to tell me that one of the best documentaries
recorded in 2007 was one that revolve around a man who defended
agents of terror, I certainly wouldn't have believed it.
***
I have only one issue with Terror's Advocate, and that's
the overlong length. The film drags on for nearly two-and-a-half
hours! I know there's a lot of information to pack into
a relatively minimal amount of time (over half a century
in just over two hours), but the thing does feel like overkill
at times as a result. At least half an hour could have been
trimmed, and it wouldn't have hurt the film any. Still,
this doesn't change my positive review of the movie. ---
Image And Sound:
I viewed a screener disc, so the image quality doesn't
represent the final product.
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