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Oscar-Nominated 'Taxi' a Grim Wartime Ride

Fresh Air | By David Edelstein
Published February 8, 2008 at 10:46 AM EST

Torture is back in the news, thanks to congressional hearings into the practice of waterboarding. That means the timing is right for the Oscar-nominated documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, which centers on the death of an Afghan cab driver in U.S. custody. Film critic David Edelstein reviews the documentary, whose title makes it sound like a horror film. In some ways, Edelstein says, it actually is.

Director Alex Gibney's previous documentaries include Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

David Edelstein
David Edelstein is a film critic for New York magazine and for NPR's Fresh Air, and an occasional commentator on film for CBS Sunday Morning. He has also written film criticism for the Village Voice, The New York Post, and Rolling Stone, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times' Arts & Leisure section.