Dilawar, a rural Afghan peanut farmer turned taxi driver, took his brand new taxi to pick up his first fare – but never made it to his second. As a cover up of their own terrorist activities, certain Afghan rebel forces were capturing innocent civilians and turning them in to American authorities. Dilawar was captured and falsely imprisoned at the, now notorious, Bagram Air Base in 2002, and his three male passengers were sent to Guantanamo Bay – a place that is meant to keep suspected terrorists in isolation – but instead, as a once-Guanatanamo detainee points out, it is more likely to simply create even more terrorists.

The four men were never officially charged with anything – in other words, they were completely innocent – but Dilawar nonetheless died because of the inhumane interrogation acts used by United States soldiers. Alex Gibney (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”) whips out his morality microscope in his Oscar winning expose “Taxi to the Dark Side,” armed with a focused agenda, in attempt to deconstruct the happenings of that day, as well as the “anti-terrorism” measures deemed necessary by the United States government and wilfully carried out by the ignorant and soft-spoken soldiers.

The conduct of the American government has been under such heavy scrutiny over the past year, in reference to the staggering amount of politically charged films and documentaries, but “Taxi to the Dark Side” remains one of the compelling and genuinely chilling – just as compelling as “No End in Sight.” Both films make more effective examinations than any of the dramatic enactments and melodramas of last year – and are so shocking that no one, not even those with their heads buried in the sand, can deny the legitimacy of the questions and answers conveyed. It is by no means an easy documentary to watch, but is essential and guarantees an impact in some way or another on the viewer.

Told by means of interviews and re-enactments with surviving detainees, journalists, politicians and the soldiers who were present during the interrogation of Dilawar, the documentary focuses not only on the one horrific occurrence, but branches into a full-on investigation into the American government rewriting the policy on torture as laid out in the Geneva Conventions to suit their own political and military agenda.

Several eyewitnesses, in this case the soldiers at the detention centre, among the interviewees go into elaborate detail into the ways and means used to break Dilawar down and do so in such a candid matter, it is difficult to choose whether to hate the individuals or actually feel sorry for them – they come across as naïve and, for the most part, it seems as though it is more a lack of clarity that results in such violence than actual hatred of suspected “terrorists.” Dilawar’s death was ruled an accident – even though his death certificate, written in English, sent to his non-English speaking relatives indicated homicide.

A New York Times investigation later opened up the scandal to some degree and certain officers and soldiers were punished – but no one bothered to figure out exactly who is responsible for the immorality even though it is clear that the orders came from a higher source. Perhaps the cover up is too thick to penetrate fully?

The film may very well serve as an indictment of present day ethics, as well as a warning to future generations who will no doubt have to grow up in a world where governments, especially those who think they have power of everyone and everything else, cannot even follow their own rules. Unless something is done about this – and no offence to Alex Gibney or his film intended – which may mean more than making excellent, eye-opening documentaries, the world as we know it could truly become a far darker place. “Taxi to the Dark Side” is, however, as good a place to start as any.

Fatac Rating: ****

Taxi to the Dark Side. Written and Directed by Alex Gibney. Music by Ivor Guest and Robert Logan. Running Time: 100 minutes. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. [A]