If last week's film 'Baraka' was a 'guided meditation' on the world, this week's film 'The Gatekeepers' is a very down to earth guide to Middle East terrorism - or at least Israel's view of it. Director Dror Moreh has managed to pull off an amazing coup in getting the 6 surviving heads of Shin Bet (Israel's MI5...with a lot more teeth) to stand before a camera. They talk about their policies in fighting Palestinian terrorism, often resulting in terrorism of their own; these men had carte blanche to do virtually anything to keep Israel safe, with little or no responsibility to even their own government. We see them admit that this often meant ordering the death of terrorists rather than attempting any peaceful negotiation first.
Mixing all this together with interviews and news broadcasts from the time, Moreh manages to produce a history of terrorism in Israel over the last 45 years. How he got permission from Israel (and the USA) for this is incredible. The resulting film was runner up for the 'Best Documentary' at the last Oscars, so he certainly pulled something out of the bag.
In case you think this might all be a bit dry, Peter Travers in Rolling Stone says it 'cuts deeper than any thriller. It's a powerhouse'. Will we believe that these men are telling us the truth? Ah, there's the rub! Come along and make your own mind up...