Metacritic Film

Terror's Advocate

Starring Jacques Vergès, Klaus Barbie, Abderrahmane Benhamida, Bachir Boumaâza, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, and Guillaume Durand

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Magnolia Pictures
Documentary
130 minutes | Color
France
Released In Theaters October 12, 2007

Communist, anticolonialist, right-wing extremist? What convictions guide the moral mind of Jacques Vergès? Barbet Schroeder takes us down history's darkest paths in his attempt to illuminate the mystery behind this enigmatic figure. As a young lawyer during the Algerian war, Vergès espoused the anticolonialist cause and defended Djamila Bouhired, "la Pasionaria," who bore her country's hopes for freedom on her shoulders and was sentenced to death for planting bombs in cafes. He obtained her release, married her, and had two children with her. Then, suddenly, at the height of an illustrious career, Vergès disappeared without trace for eight years. He reemerged from his mysterious absence and took on the defense of terrorists of all kinds, from Magdalena Kopp and Anis Naccache to Carlos the Jackal. He represented historical monsters such as Nazi lieutenant Klaus Barbie. From the lawyer's inflammatory and provocative cases to his controversial terrorist links, Barbet Schroeder follows the winding trail left by this "devil's advocate" as he forged his unique path in law and politics. Schroeder explores and questions the history of "blind terrorism" through his penetrating investigation of this compelling man, and leads us toward shocking revelations that expose long-hidden links in history. (Magnolia Pictures)

WRITTEN BY
Prosper Keating

DIRECTED BY
Barbet Schroeder

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

75 / 100

Critic Reviews

90	New York Magazine A brilliant study in the link between moral corruption and narcissism.
88	Boston Globe Mark Feeney Outrageous controversialist meets brilliant attorney, and fact intertwines with fiction.
88	The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason McBride If the roots of terrorism are hopelessly snarled, Terror's Advocate does a very good job of exposing some of the soil in which they grow.
88	TV Guide Schroeder's film is a fascinating character study in contradictions and in the end Verges remains loathsome, oddly charismatic and willfully enigmatic.
83	Entertainment Weekly The title Terror's Advocate is both a statement of fact and a worrisome understatement in a documentary as slippery as its subject.
80	The New York Times It is one of the most engaging, morally unsettling political thrillers in quite some time, with the extra advantage of being true.
80	Los Angeles Times It is the gift of Terror's Advocate, Barbet Schroeder's riveting new documentary, to simply present Vergès as is, to say "here is the man" and let things speak for themselves. Do they ever.
80	Village Voice Terror's Advocate is largely a mix of talking heads and archival footage, but as Vergés's connections to Swiss neo-Nazis and Congo secessionists are explored, the movie becomes a fantastic international thriller.
75	The Onion (A.V. Club) If nothing else, Terror's Advocate offers a useful summary of the last half-century of global politics, and how changing public perceptions can make goats out of heroes.
75	San Francisco Chronicle Tamara Straus A complex story.
75	Philadelphia Inquirer Whatever one makes of its subject's moral code and mind-set, one has to give Terror's Advocate its due: the stories are riveting, the man is real.
75	Seattle Post-Intelligencer Less a portrait of this controversial man than a touchstone "to trace the history of contemporary terrorism."
70	Washington Post The result is a panorama of European radicalism. Depending on your politics, you may think "long live the revolution" or "curse the day the CIA ended its assassination program."
70	The Hollywood Reporter A fascinating film even if it never completely pins him (Verges) down.
70	Variety Sure to inspire debate in France and Germany and of obvious interest to anyone who follows the roots of modern international terrorism, doc probes gray areas in the colorful life of its controversial, limelight-courting subject.
63	Premiere It's a fascinating portrait, but it's also choppy and rushed and lopsided.
50	New York Daily News While I understand Vergès' oft-repeated claim that he wants to use these sensational cases to point out that the French were no better than the Nazis in their treatment of colonial subjects, it's impossible to overlook his glib dismissal of his clients' crimes and the smug righteousness that rests in the smirk constantly on his face.

CLOSE THIS WINDOW

©2009 CNET Networks Inc. All rights reserved.