At the risk of sounding like I know something about topics of which I am largely ignorant, I’d say that Terror’s Advocate is perhaps the most important theatrical release imaginable for anyone who really wants to understand what’s going on with international politics today. This is a film, frankly, that makes Fahrenheit 9/11 look like a parlor game—and it’s all accomplished without a lick of angst or outrage on the part of the director, Barbet Schroeder.

The nominal subject of this film is French-Algerian international law expert Jacques Vergès who, over the years, has provided legal services for the likes of Klaus Barbie, Carlos the Jackal, Saddam Hussein, and Slobodan Milosevic. As one might expect, Vergès has personal reasons for defending “monsters,” “psychopaths,” and “terrorists.” The biggest reason is that Vergès’ closest associates have almost always been “freedom fighters” and “patriots”—who have perpetrated either acts of heroism or heinous atrocities, depending on one’s perspective.

You may have noticed I used a bunch of “inverted commas” in that last paragraph, and you might be wondering why. After all, monsters and psychopaths are pretty easy to identify, aren’t they? And freedom fighters are too, right? I’ll let Vergès’ own words provide something of an explanation: “I can’t stand for a man to be humiliated, even an enemy—for a lone man to be insulted by a lynch mob.”

Vergès’ passions and convictions, you see, were forged in the wake of World War II, when French-Algerian soldiers—like Vergès, who had fought on France’s behalf against the Axis powers—were slapped down back in the colonies. Algeria revolted, and won its independence through tactics now called “terrorism.” In those days, in Algeria, what they did was called “resistance” and “treason”—and when France capitulated, the terrorists became statesmen. It’s a pattern we’ve seen throughout modern history, of course, from Boston Harbor to Palestine. But Terror’s Advocate puts a whole new face on “spin” and patriotic wordsmithing.

Because here’s where Vergès ideology takes him: “I was asked, ‘Would you defend Hitler?’ I said, ‘I’d even defend Bush! But only if he agreed to plead guilty.’” It’s a statement that doesn’t need any explanation or interpretation; but it does help to know, as Schroeder’s film shows us, that Vergès for years counted amongst his closest associates Swiss Nazis who supported Hilter’s regime and later financed Palestinian terrorists.

Granted, if you’re sitting in bombed out hovel in Afghanistan, it’s pretty easy to think of such people as allies and of Bush as a terrorist. But what’s totally chilling about Vergès and his associates is the extent to which they regard innocent bystanders as mere means to personal and political ends. And, if Schroeder’s documentary is to be believed, the Old Boys of the terrorism movement are about as committed to austere principles of philosophy as are Wall Street’s former hippies. What they seem to be really passionate about is wine and big fat cigars. I guess Castro is still good for something.

Sure, there’s some idealism left. Vergès associate Bachir Boumaza—more than once a fugitive, spy, and prison escapee, and now an Algerian senator—declares that “a revolution isn’t a beast that devours its best children; it also saves them.” But from what, and for what purpose?

You may hear that Terror’s Advocate is an expose of Vergès “rupture defense”—the idea that charges of terrorism can’t possibly be leveled by regimes which practice torture and terrorist-like tactics themselves. And that’s all well and good, to the extent that it legitimately lays charges of terrorism at the feet of France and the U.S., right along with everyone else.

But the real value of this film is in showing us the company that international politicians are forced to keep. How could anyone—Bush, Clinton, Mitterand, Vergès, or anyone else—possibly keep their hands clean when playing in such a filthy sandbox? Granted, one doesn’t have to play at being pals with as much glee or frequency as Bush, Sr. seemed to. But we’re merely talking shades of ick here, not doling out white hats and black hats.

This is a hard film to get into, and it’s shocking as hell to digest. But if you decide to see one documentary about international politics in your lifetime, you probably won’t do better than Terror’s Advocate.

Terror’s Advocate is unrated; but have no fear, no child would be the slightest bit interested in this film anyway. For thematic content, though, I’d suggest a PG-13. Even some adults will have trouble sleeping after dwelling on this film’s ideas.

Courtesy of regional publicist, Greg viewed a promotional screener of Terror’s Advocate.