The Devil Came On Horseback (2007)
98 %
Reviews Counted: 48 Fresh: 47 Rotten:1 Average Rating: 7.7/10
Consensus:
The Devil Came on Horseback is both a strong primer on the complexities of the situation in Darfur and a harrowing first-person doc.
Runtime: 85 mins
Theatrical Release: Jul 25, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Marine Captain Brian Steidle is an unlikely hero. Not because he isn't brave; he has shown courage under fire. But Steidle's accomplishment is entirely unexpected; he is a soldier who is learning to change the world through peaceful means. The subject is Darfur. The journey takes place... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Director: Annie Sundberg, Ricki Stern
Producer: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, Gretchen Steidle Wallace, Jane Wells
Composer: Paul Brill
Producer: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, Gretchen Steidle Wallace, Jane Wells
Composer: Paul Brill
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Clumsy filmmaking and political analysis do not detract from the horror of the events the film bears witness too, nor the importance of its message.
Comment
04/11/08
The Devil Came On Horseback sets out to shock. The images caught by Steidle's camera will stay with you long after his personal story - given too much time in relation to events - has faded from memory.
04/11/08
Steidle's documentary evidence - shot where no journalist can set foot - makes for grim viewing.
04/11/08
A decent attempt at outling the crises but crucially lacking much depth.
04/11/08
Powerful, impressively directed and desperately moving documentary that highlights one of the world's most vicious injustices and the shocking refusal of Western governments to do anything about it.
04/10/08
This documentary tells us two things. It's very bad in the Darfur region of the Sudan and the U.S. isn't doing a damned thing to stop the genocide there.
01/15/08
Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg chronicle his burgeoning activism in the face of the U.S. government's indifference as the government of Sudan works systematically to eradicate black Africans from the region.
01/04/08
Top Critic
we feel Steidle's inner turmoil as he cries uncontrollably at the thought of the genocide he was powerless to prevent
12/18/07
In a way, "Devil" is two horror stories, the first is what Steidle saw in Darfur, the second what he saw when he left.
10/26/07
When you see a hero like Steidle feeling guilty because he couldn't do more -- well, it's hard to feel anything but admiration for him and the movie.
10/25/07
The gripping documentary The Devil Came on Horseback traces the change of heart that compelled Steidle to break military discipline in 2005 and offer his secret photographic evidence of Sudan's vicious ethnic cleansing to the New York Times.
10/12/07
Top Critic
The Devil Came on Horseback is a documentary account of Steidle's ongoing efforts to educate the world about the violence he witnessed as an unarmed military observer for the African Union in 2004.
10/12/07
Top Critic
The collection of images that make up the first forty-odd minutes of the film are among the most horrifying I have seen in all my life.
09/27/07
The film’s approach suits an audience broader than the usual documentary crowd, though it’s worth mentioning that those pictures can really stay with you.
09/22/07
On all counts, the co-directors of this persuasive documentary set the right tone.
09/21/07
Top Critic
Directors Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg have found an impressive protagonist in Steidle, but they would have done better to expand the scope of the documentary beyond his personal recollections.
09/20/07
With an estimated 400,000 dead since 2003, and 2.5 million Sudanese left homeless in the wake of the genocide, ignoring the story doesn’t seem like a humane option.
09/20/07
Top Critic
The Devil Came on Horseback means to upset you. To this end, it presents Steidle's photos and very vocal frustrations.
09/15/07
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