The Devil Came On Horseback

Former Marine Captain Brian Steidle gives a firsthand look at the atrocities of the raging Darfur crisis in The Devil Came On Horseback, a disturbing new documentary from directors Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern. Steidle first entered Sudan as part of a group devoted to overseeing the ceasefire between the North and South and eventually ended up working in Darfur with the African Union once word spread of the mounting violence in the region. Steidle documented his time in the midst of the crisis with extensive photos and videos showing the horrifying death and catastrophe in Darfur. Much of that footage is reproduced here as shocking evidence of the ongoing genocide.

Beyond recounting Steidle's crippling Darfur stay in which he was expressly prohibited from taking action against the Janjaweed and other Sudanese sponsored groups raping and killing the Darfur people, The Devil Came On Horseback details his return home and eventual advocacy for action to be taken in Darfur. Once he granted the New York Times access to his library of never before seen Darfur photos, Steidle became an in demand guest speaker at every major news outlet reporting on the crisis. The film also shows Steidle making return trips to Africa to help as best he can and eventually visiting Rwanda as part of the film's insistence that a failure to act in defense of that nation's tortured masses should only further incite Americans to demand a call to action now. Despite the famed Rwanda slogan of "Never Again," genocide is once again transpiring and the film quite rightly expresses a bit of a pessimistic attitude with regard to the slow to act politicians worldwide. It points out trials being held in the International Criminal Court, in which Steidle testified, that hope to hold the killers accountable but has an overwhelmingly helpless feeling when it comes to actually ending the ongoing violence and devastation.

The film is probably more powerful for its content than its technique. The photos Steidle brought home with him are terrifying snapshots of outright evil and however they are pieced together, they cannot help but cause sorrow in all of us. Fortunately, Steidle is an articulate and consummately kind and compassionate subject, making the film's recap of the brutal, bloody events in Darfur pulse with humanity and reach out to audiences far more impressively than even the most well reasoned print resources ever could.

Grade: A-