275. Path Of Blood; movie review

PATH OF BLOOD
Cert 18
89 mins
BBFC advice: Contains graphic images of real dead bodies, injuries and violence

How often have we all said: "What on earth goes through the minds of terrorists who kill innocent people?"
Jonathan Hacker goes at least part of the way to answering this question in his remarkable documentary, Path Of Blood.
The film is down to the persuasive powers of executive producers, Adel Alabdulkarim and Abdulrahman Alrashed who heard that Saudi intelligence forces had hundreds of hours of captured home movie-style footage from Al Qaeda.
They persuaded the royal prince in charge of homeland security to allow them access to what transpires to be an insight into the minds of those who describe themselves as martyrs.
Indeed, this is an entirely unexpected chronicle of recent history where an often-invisible bogeyman is finally unveiled.
Thankfully, Hacker keeps the worst excesses of Al Qaeda away from the screen so we see a kidnapped American being questioned but, mercifully, not his beheading.
But there is clear footage of the terrorists planning atrocities in which many died.
There are also scenes in which they are gently indoctrinating youngsters but also joking among themselves about forthcoming missions.
In my view, the big plus of Path Of Blood is its use of sporadic narration.
At key moments the screen goes black and clinical words are spoken to explain the relevance of what is unfolding.
This leads into the other element of the movie which is footage taken by the Saudi security forces in raids and battles against Al Qaeda.
It would be believed in the West that the Saudis have been soft on the terrorists but Path Of Blood shows this to be untrue.
Indeed, their country has been the target to some of the worst atrocities.
Therefore, it is another huge bonus that we can see behind the curtain of a secretive state.
Path Of Blood is like no other documentary - it is illuminating and gripping. But, be warned, there are some stomach-turning images of real dead bodies.

Reasons to watch: Important recent history
Reasons to avoid: Some images are stomach-churning

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10

Director quote - Jonathan Hacker: "Terrorism has not gone away. It has potent ideology and there are always going to be young, vulnerable people who are prone to these type of ideas. Just when you think you've defeated it in one place, it has a habit of reappearing in another."

The big question - Can we ever be rid of terrorism?

has not gone away. It has a potent ideology, and there are al

ways going to be

young, vulnerable people who are prone to these kinds of ideas.

Just when you think you’ve

defeated it in one place, it has an uncanny habit of reappearing in another

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