Pierre Rehov's documentary arrives on the heels of the superior Cult of the Suicide Bomber (VL-7/06), in which former CIA agent Robert Baer offered a methodical, insightful and wide-ranging analysis of the origin and development of the ideology and practice of suicide bombing in the modern world. By contrast, Suicide Killers is both more specific—concentrating on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict—and less skillfully constructed, something closer to an impressionistic collage than a rigorously organized examination. Yet much of the footage is very powerful: the interviews with captured bombers in Israeli custody—both male and female, some weirdly serene and others anxious to try again—are deeply unsettling, while remarks by survivors of bomb attacks provide searing counterpoint. Comments by masked terrorist trainees are positively chilling, as are the scenes of children's camps where youngsters are indoctrinated, and excerpts from Arab television broadcasts that essentially advocate extremism. Some moderate voices are also heard, but the fact that they're so easily drowned out by their shriller rivals is itself telling. DVD extras include additional scenes (including extended interviews), a TV interview with Rehov, and a DVD-ROM study guide. Though not as effective as Baer's film, Suicide Killers still contains much provocative material on an important subject. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Suicide Killers
(2007) 80 min. DVD: $24.95. City Lights Pictures (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 0-9793607-0-6. Volume 22, Issue 4
Suicide Killers
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