Shadow Company

While a great deal of the debate regarding the U.S. occupation of Iraq focuses on American military personnel, some 20,000 “private” soldiers are also part of the ongoing campaign. Filmmakers Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque's Shadow Company is a remarkable documentary focusing on today's mercenary forces in Iraq, linking current operations with the history of soldiers-for-hire (hardly a new concept--the ancient Greeks and Romans employed such characters in their sword-and-spear endeavors). In the past 30 years, however, mercenaries have become more prominent throughout the developing world (where civil wars and rebel conflicts always seem to be in season); in fact, a great many have their roots in apartheid South Africa and white-ruled Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe). Despite some contemporary euphemisms (PMCs or “private military companies” is the preferred expression), the old-fashioned mercenaries are still in demand—especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. military is stretched to the fraying point. Featuring interviews with PMC staff, former mercenaries, lobbyists, academics, and journalists, Shadow Company points out that mercenaries have often done more harm than good, particularly in the interrogation of suspected terrorists (with the real military ending up protecting them from being brought to justice for their reckless actions). Offering a profile of a decidedly less-than-heroic side of current military maneuvers, Shadow Company is unlikely to make people on either side of the political spectrum happy after seeing how the U.S. Army needs to pay soldiers-for-hire to beef up its overseas activity. DVD extras include two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a panel discussion at the film's premiere in Washington, D.C. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)