Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2004) User Reviews

The Devil in our Backyard

[kergillian · 9/10 · 27 March 2005]

I saw Shake Hands with the Devil not long ago, on Radio-Canada, and it was a very strong counter to Hotel Rwanda, which I had seen just days earlier. It amazes how countries that stand up and decry the Holocaust, that call Iraq and Afghanistan centers of evil that must be invaded and liberated, seem to sit quietly and allow genocide to occur repeatedly throughout Africa. Whatever the reason may be - no resources or interests, an attempt to pacify mutual allies, or simple apathy because it's 'not a Western problem', it fills me with anguish to see the results. And to see CNN and the media giving Iraq and the Asian tsunami 24/7 coverage while making Rwanda and Darfur a footnote on the back pages is nothing short of horrendous.

One scene in particular really stuck with me - it's the scene during the Rwandan inquest, where a Belgian senator starts to harangue Dallaire over the deaths of a couple of Belgian peacekeepers, who he claimed could have been saved. It absolutely astounded me to see this self-righteous and self-centered man thinking about the loss of two men while nearly a million were butchered. And to blame Dallaire, who was handicapped by the UN who refused to give him support or a mandate...it boggles the mind. I didn't see the Belgian government pleading for the UN to intervene...

In Darfur it's the same situation - the UN doesn't want to intervene, so they swamp their investigation and reports in red tape, mainly because China has oil contracts with the Sudanese government and Russia has sold arms to them. It looks like the only lesson that the previous genocides of the last century has taught us, is that if there's going to be genocide, get on the side that is committing it and make sure that your interests are secured...

Bravo to Dallaire for having the courage and cojones to return to Rwanda and to give us his outstanding and this astonishing and important documentary. 9/10.

What a moving film.

[drzaz · 9/10 · 26 September 2004]

It's not often that I get to review documentaries (and I'm not sure that Michael Moore counts) but I was fortunate enough to see the excellent film 'Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire' this afternoon. Daillaire was picked from the Canadian Army to lead the UN Peacekeeping mission in Rwanda as the genocide of Tutsis (by another tribe the Hutu) was about to begin. The film goes into the history of how the hatreds began, and how there was a real failure from the world to intervene in time. At every turn Daillaire was thwarted by his so-called superiors to do anything. For the most part his men were left to watch as the country destroyed itself. As this was all happening in the spring of 1994, the world was obsessed with one OJ Simpson and his bloody glove. Watching the film I was sickened by the first world's apathy toward Africa. Bono once said that this generation will be remembered for standing by with water while Africa burned. This film only reinforced the statement. Afterwards the director, Peter Raymont, had a Q&A with the audience (there was also Dallaire's assistant from that period in Rwanda - his name escapes me), and he said that in Canada it will be playing on the CBC in the new year. I saw it as part of the Vancouver International Film Fest, and it's played at Toronto already, and will be at Berlin and Sundance next year. Please check this film out! It deserves to be seen by one and all.

One man coming to grips with "evil"

[GethinVanH · 8/10 · 24 October 2008]

A great documentary which tells the story of Dallaire in Rwanda during the genocide. It's amazing to see how no one responded to this crisis and yet quickly responded to what was happening in Yugoslavia. My one problem? Dallaire's roman-catholic spiritualism whereby he says he could feel "the coldness" of the "evil" men who orchestrated the genocide. There are no evil men and good men. Just men. What these men did, they did because they were human, not because the devil tapped them on the shoulder.

I'd heard about Dallaire's return to Canada and what happened when he came back. He was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and was severely depressed. At one point he wandered drunkenly through the streets of Ottawa while he contemplated suicide. He was eventually picked up on a park bench in Hull and was hospitalized. I would have been more interested in hearing about Dallaire's psyche when he returned home. This documentary is after all less about the genocide and more about Dallaire and his confrontation with what he calls "evil".

Very well edited

[akiveverkova · 10/10 · 4 March 2005]

I have seen a few movies re: Dallaire, read his book and have seen him speak. I think what puts this film above all of the other background information that I have is the editing. Yes, some of the footage is stock (stock as in seen in other documentaries re: Rwanda) IT IS ALL REAL. THIS IS A VERY GRAPHIC FILM. The editing is amazing. The photography gives the beauty of the landscape and the stock footage is placed in very well. Overall, it is an amazing movie. I give most of that credit to the editor. It is important to put this film in context. I don't expect most people to understand this context, but if you are interested (which I hope you are) there are many wonderful books that can get you started. Not only is this an important film in the documenting of Dallaire and Rwanda, but it is a VERY honest look at the affects of war. If you watch him as he speaks (on film and in person) this is a man whose very core has been horribly affected. Can he ever overcome those scares? I don't think so. Should he? No. He should do what he is doing now...show them to the world. The sad part is that some parts of the world will never listen to him, but that can not distract him. He has to keep going....I hope this makes some amount of sense. Please, see the film. Understand the history. Teach your children so this isn't again our future.

An emotional and eye-opening film

[ianferraro · 10/10 · 4 March 2005]

This film reaffirms why documentary film making is so important. Documentaries don't simply tell a story; they tell a real story, a human story. Documentaries help to shed light on human triumphs and human tragedies, both of which are evident in this gripping film directed by Peter Raymont.

The tragedy, of course, was that nearly 1 million Rwandans were killed and slaughtered in a senseless act of genocide. What adds to the tragedy is that the "civilized" world could have easily stopped this from happening, if they only cared. The film displays how the U.N. and individual countries alike not only failed to help the innocent Rwandan people, but in many ways they contributed to the genocide that happened by creating some of the ethnic stigmas that existed in the country.

Yet amongst all of this carnage and horror there did remain some good people who tried to help the Rwandan's. General Romeo Dallaire, commander of the UN forces in Rwanda, was one of these people. Perhaps no one else in Rwanda did as much to save people as did Mr. Dallaire. Even though he was betrayed by the UN and ignored by the rest of the world, he emerged from this terrible situation as a hero.

I believe the ultimate message of this film is that the leading countries of the world and their citizens must learn from human tragedies like Rwanda so that we can take action to prevent such atrocities from happening again. Unfourtunately, with situations such as the one in Darfur, it seems like this message is not being heard. An important film that must be seen by all and a shining example of documentary film making. 10/10.

Never fails to engage

[bob the moo · 8 September 2005]

In 1994 General Dallaire was given command of a small peacekeeping operation from the UN in the central African country of Rwanda. When the Hutus started killing the Tutsis population the UN evacuated the westerners but essentially left the country to take care of itself – with only Dallaire's small and underfunded group of men left against a tidal wave of violence that left about 800,000 dead. As the west sat transfixed by the OJ trial, Dallaire struggled to get the word out and get the world to respond. Ten years later, he returns to Rwanda to remember.

Having been gutted by Hotel Rwanda I felt ashamed that I knew very little about the genocide and decided to watch this documentary to provide more insight than HR did. Although this film is more interested in Dallaire than in the actual genocides it still is educational, interesting and impacting. We follow Dallaire as he returns to the country and recollects the events of a decade ago, memories that are backed up with some sickening archive footage of bodies and murder. It doesn't really shock or emotionally involve that well in that regard though – compared to the narrative structure of HR this seems a bit distant, a fact not helped by the "looking back" delivery. However the film is still impacting because it focuses more on the west and the failure to act, with Dallaire lost in the middle of the chaos. The film does this well and it is very clear where the blame lies and how insincere the world was and still is – Clinton's visit and assurances that he didn't appreciate how bad things were at the time made me angry and frustrated.

As our eyes Dallaire is very interesting. He is long past tears so he doesn't move us by breaking down but by being honest and talking. The things he recalls seeing are horrific, although just as engaging is his own pain and suffering – his frustrations, his fears and his anger. I'm sure some viewers will not warm to him because he doesn't look emotional but his story makes up for it. The film gives him a bit of an easy ride in some regards, not pushing him when he says that he had no mandate etc, but even those who feel he is the figurehead for failure will acknowledge that he did stay when he could easily have left like everyone else.

Overall this is a hard film to judge because the subject matter means it easily engages and is moving. Some viewers may find it a bit cold compared to the emotional ride of Hotel Rwanda but it is no less for it, in fact it makes for a more detailed and open presentation that is consistently interesting and moving.

Open, honest, and moving

[mike-1613 · 10/10 · 1 February 2005]

There is so much tragedy that takes place in the world involving the military and others involved in physical conflict, yet it is rare that a soldier comes forward to tell the truth. In Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire, we are lucky to have not just a soldier, but a leader who took so much responsibility for the Rwandan genocide onto himself explaining through word and deed what happened there, and its meaning. This is a wonderful documentary, and a moving story about an honest man's quest to understand the difficulty and horror he experienced. It is impossible not to be emotionally moved by Dallaire's story, and the well-crafted way in which it is told.

What is the value of a human life?

[dmbhutch · 10/10 · 31 January 2005]

I just returned from the Sundance film Festival where I saw Shake Hands with the Devil. This documentary must be seen for many reasons. It is a history lesson for those who missed the tragedy of the Rowandan genocide. It asks the question: why do we value one human life above another? It tells the story of the courage and conviction of Romeo Dallaire; qualities he possesses to an extent that surpasses what most of us can only imagine. After the screening I attended, the audience was left speechless and was slow to applaud. We all sat in our seats numbed by what we just seen - that human life can have no value on a world wide basis. Please see this outstanding documentary.

Informative in some ways, disappointing in others

[MoneyMagnet · 6/10 · 20 December 2009]

As someone who has studied the Rwandan civil war and genocide in depth, I would recommend this documentary for providing some important background that is not readily available elsewhere in the film and literature about the genocide. The events of 1993 and early 1994 immediately leading up to the outbreak of killing, are often not presented well. Here we see General Dallaire's return visits to UN installations and places where he tried to carry out his initial mission to implement the Arusha Peace Accords of '93, important pieces of the puzzle. This alone makes the film worth seeing for anyone interested in how the genocide came to happen. There is also a visit to the memorial at Bisesero, an important but lesser known locale during the genocide where Tutsi were able to resist for a long time. While the "Ghosts of Rwanda" Frontline film remains the definitive documentary about the genocide, this movie adds some valuable details.

However, the film also uncomfortably at times seemed like a promotional project or hagiography for Dallaire and his friends and colleagues rather than a truly thoughtful documentary examination of one embattled and psychically wounded commander's experiences in trying to uphold an impossible mission. Part of the "problem" is that Dallaire is clearly a determined personality (and was in 1994) and speaks pretty eloquently for himself, but we also need to "see" more cinematically and not just hear people reciting how wronged he was. We needed less talking heads and more on-the-ground footage. (Although the 1994 footage is horrific enough) The film does not exactly take a dispassionate editorial tone... it's savagely condemning of both the UN and the Belgians in particular. (Warning, don't watch this movie if you're Belgian.)

Clearly, Dallaire was a fall guy for massive UN incompetence and immoral world indifference, who deserves to have his story told. I just think it could have been told much better in documentary form.

"when humans aren't enough"

[joojiep · 10/10 · 24 January 2005]

This incredible documentary must be seen. The irony that Romeo Dallaire, the only man who actually stayed in Rwanda during the genocide, would feel the most guilt over the mass slaughter is incredible. This film needs to be seen in the context of current African tragedies. Not simply Sudan, but the LRA's child soldiers of Uganda, the gruesome and pervasive civil wars in Burundi, DRC, and the Cote d'Ivoire. These conflicts are complex and ignored by the world. See this film and become more informed on African politics which are destroying the lives of tens of thousands of human beings. There are possibilities to help, seek out large NGOs such as Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres, and the Heifer Organization; or smaller, more specialized NGOs such as Care For Life. This film helps us all to realize we cannot ignore the realities of developing nations' violence and poverty. In another fantastic documentary, "Born into Brothels," one of the children says something to the effect of "I like this picture, though it is sad, we have to look at it because that is the way she lives and it is truth." If an impoverished 10-year-old can come to that realization, so must the rest of the world.

Response to Mr. McGonigle

[jaythompson-is · 6/10 · 4 March 2006]

Mr. McGonigle, though your criticism fair in parts, I wish you to delve deeper into why, exactly, the United States is partially blamed in this feature, as well as in Roméo Dallaire's book as well.

I have spent time as a foreign aid worker in Rwanda, and after seeing this film, I was disappointed at how little was spoken in regards to the peoples involved. You wrote, "The Hutu fundamentalists didn't want peace or a political settlement; they only wanted to see Tutsis dead. That's it. All the troops in the world would only have stopped the slaughter temporarily.", to which I would say is a very simple-minded argument, and based on what I have witnessed on the ground in Rwanda, I would say it to be quite irrational.

What is exceptionally important to understand, and I feel very understated in the West, is how intelligent these African leaders are. They, like the leaders in the West, have often attended Universities in the West (in this case, Universities in Quebec seemed popular amongst the francophones). These leaders understand what buttons to push, and what will give them gain, and what will not.

The Hutu were not out to kill for the sake of killing. There was a cunning behind this, and had their leaders nothing to gain with genocide, we undoubtedly would have stopped it before it began. The terrible thing, as Dallaire of course bears witness too, is that 'we' (that is, the member states of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council) could do something to stop it. We simply chose not to.

Let us also understand where the United Nations went wrong. This was not a situation of Secretary-General Mr. Boutros-Ghali or any of his subordinates simply turning a blind eye to the plight in Rwanda, or otherwise not committed to spending there. This was a failure of the member states not wishing to spend the needed cost in staff, soldiers, MILOBS, and supplies. Specifically the members of the Security Concil - including, of course, the all-powerful United States of America.

Another argument you put forth, Mr. McGonicle:

"Now let's be very blunt, look around you; how many young Americans would you send into harms way to only temporarily halt, not stop the eventual killings? How many would you be willing to sacrifice for a country of little strategic value, no natural wealth and no great political objectives to speak of? I am aware of the "doing it for humanity" argument, but is it possible to stop every insane group determined to kill off parts of their own population? Are the superpowers supposed to be the world's police? Can they be everywhere all the time?"

While some might argue it a callous argument, it is indeed both logical and fair. No, the United States is not obligated to solve the worlds problems. However, one can certainly argue there have been few human catastrophes worse than the Rwandan Genocide within the last century. Given the last forty years of near-constant warfare waged by the Americans, logical questions must be asked. Is it logical for the United States to aggressively invade nations based on ideological principles? If so, is that truly more important than halting genocide? If not, all I can say is we must agree to disagree. The pure human loss seems far more important than if a government wishes to abolish private land ownership, or to legalise cocaine.

Forgive me for the transgressions, though. The book, 'Shake Hands with the Devil', is magnificent. All documentaries and films I have seen depicting the genocide seem to always fill be with a lack of ... something unexplainable. Perhaps it just seems that there isn't enough time in these formats to adequately tell such a complex political and sociological story. While I would recommend the film for the pure purpose of educating oneself about such an important historical footnote (in the West) that deserves far more attention, I could not say it told the whole story.

This film is about Mr. Dallaire, first and foremost. And on that note, I must say it does a fine job.

the story of a real hero

[m_white · 10/10 · 29 June 2005]

*spoilers in here* "Shake Hands With The Devil" reviews the experiences of Canadian Gen. Romeo Dallaire, who was head of the UN troops in Rwanda in 1994, while filming his return to Rwanda for the 10th anniversary of the genocide in 2004. Dallaire's small UN peacekeeping force was sent in to help protect the fragile truce in Rwanda's civil war, and as such was unable to interfere in any way. In April of 1994, all hell broke loose as extremists assassinated Rwanda's president and staged a coup, pretending a "third force" was at fault. High-level military commanders joined forces with the "Hutu power" extremists and quickly killed all the moderate leaders in the first few hours after the assassination, so there was no one left to oppose them as they set in motion a carefully planned genocide. Foreign nationals fled the country and the UN pulled out everyone except a minimal force. Only 270 soldiers were allowed to remain, paralyzed by the restraints of their mission's parameters. They could shelter as many Tutsis as possible in a handful of UN-protected sites, but apart from that, they were made to be bystanders.

The UN's ambivalence hamstrung every operational aspect of the mission. Dallaire had to beg for even the most basic supplies -- I'm talking about paper and pencils here, not guns or jeeps. He spent most of his time during the genocide jumping through the most insane administrative hoops, filing reports, writing assessments, trying everything to convince his bosses at the UN. It was plain that the higher-up hoped if they stalled long enough, it would all just go away.

Finally after 3 months of unrestrained killing, the rebel troops were able to move in and halt the genocide. By then 800,000 people were dead.

As you can imagine, Dallaire was devastated by this experience. In the years afterwards, he had an emotional breakdown and attempted suicide twice. He was haunted with guilt and remorse, certain the a minimal force of 5,000 could have stopped or even prevented the genocide. He sees this as his own personal failure, as it was his inability to convince his higher-ups to intervene which cost so many lives.

But instead of succumbing to despair, with the help of his family and loved ones, he eventually pulled himself together. He laid some of the worst demons to rest by writing a book about his experience. The movie takes its title from the name of his book.

Dallaire has returned to Africa to testify in the war crimes trials, but until the 10th anniversary, he had not gone back to Rwanda. As he revisited the scenes of his experiences in 1994, the filmmakers came with him, sometimes jumping back to archive footage of the genocide, so that we could see what Dallaire saw in his mind's eye as he contrasted past to present.

There in the midst of those tormented memories, Dallaire's compassion for the survivors he meets overpowers his sadness and remorse. Each individual matters to him. And some places bring a wistful smile to his face. He is reunited with several people he worked with in 1994, and they greet one another with great affection. The film intersperses interviews with of some of those people, who fill in other details in the story.

Dallaire reminds me of the heroes of classic mythology, like one of Joseph Campbell's stories, built from deep archetypes. He shook hands with evil incarnate, he was transformed by his horrific experience, he endured, he survived, and has passed back into the land of the living, wearing the scars of his ordeal like a scarlet letter or a mark of Cain. He is a modern day Cassandra, condemned to tell the truth no one wants to hear. Not surprisingly, Dallaire has been pressured to quit pointing fingers and keep his mouth shut. He refuses. Like the ancient mariner, he tells his tale because he must. He bears witness to that Hell on Earth. We need to listen to him, and this movie helps bring us his message.

I would also like to respond to the review of May 16, 2005. This viewer was unhappy that the film was critical of the US, but I think he misunderstood. Although Dallaire has plenty of gripes with the US, the movie's main target for criticism is the UN. Yes, the US naturally comes under heavier scrutiny than other member nations because we have so much more to offer and have so much more influence. But the UN is the one who blew it in a big way here. The UN's scope reaches far beyond that of individual member nations. The Rwandan cease fire in early 1994 was exactly the type of situation the UN was meant to help with. In this case, the only thing the UN and the US succeeded in was in looking like racist hypocrites.

This reviewer contends that none of us would be willing to sacrifice an American life to save a Rwandan, but I don't agree. I think American soldiers have a sense of honor, and would not want to stand by and watch a child hacked to death in front of the parents. Being a world leader is more than just getting to be first in line at the feed trough. Our great wealth, our powerful military, and our extraordinarily rich resources enable us to lend a hand to others who need help. International law was broken. We (the US AND the UN) promised to uphold that law and we (the US AND the UN) had a duty to stand by our word.

Because It's a Documentary, It Doesn't Make It True

[Michael-70 · 1/10 · 16 May 2005]

I am a hard core liberal, but I could not stand Shake Hands With The Devil, a well-meaning but ultimately stupid documentary about the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The film is chock full of limousine liberal guilt and tries to make the United States the fall guy in this horrible world tragedy. I say the film is stupid because it reduces a very complex situation down to ridiculous platitudes. I fear people will think it's true just because it's a documentary.

The history of how Rwanda, a small Central African country literally turned in on itself with one group, the majority Hutu nationalists literally hunting down minority Tutsis in the street and chopping them to death with machetes is a complicated story. It starts with Rwanda being put under Belgian control as part of World War One war reparations and eventually leads to the bloody independence of the country in 1962.

But the racial and political divides thrust upon the population from their inept and brutal colonial masters made for a very unstable situation. In fact, Rwanda has seen bursts of violence with mass killings and forced exiles twice before in 1964 and 1974. Was it really such a surprise that this happened again in 1994?

The film Shake Hands With The Devil is based on the book by Canadian General Romeo Dallaire who was head of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Rwanda at the time of the genocide. When the violence began, the good General tried to get the United Nations to intervene, yet the United Nations felt strangely helpless and for a variety of complicated reasons, did nothing. This was particularly devastating to General Dallaire and he details his frustration, guilt and subsequent depression in a very moving way in his excellent book.

If the film had just told the story of General Dallaire and his failed peacekeeping mission and then focused on how Rwanda has changed in the decade since the horrific genocide, it would have been a very good documentary. But the filmmakers have decided to point a blaming finger at the "West" particularly the United States for ignoring the plight of the Rwandans and allowing the genocide to happen.

The film smugly claims there is an inherent shallowness in the American public because at the time of the Rwandan killings we were more interested in the O. J. trial to pay attention to anything else. It never occurs to the filmmakers that the O.J. trial was not a celebrity freak show like the current Michael Jackson trial. With O.J., American jurisprudence itself was on trial. Of course we were interested.

Also, despite what the documentary claims, I remember distinctly hearing radio reports and reading newspaper accounts about the descent into madness Rwanda fell into from April to July of 1994. Yes, the O. J. trial was mostly on page one, but Rwanda was always on page two at least. The information was out there; it was reported.

However, awareness about something horrible happening and knowing what to do to stop it are two different things. The majority Hutus and the minority Tutsis in the country had a peace agreement of sorts, but the Interahamwe (Hutu Militias, well regulated, no doubt) didn't want peace and evidence shows they had planned in advance for genocide.

General Dallaire alerted the United Nations about the deteriorating situation and tried to stop it, but did not have anywhere near the force of troops needed. But I don't think it would have mattered. The Hutu fundamentalists didn't want peace or a political settlement; they only wanted to see Tutsis dead. That's it. All the troops in the world would only have stopped the slaughter temporarily.

Now let's be very blunt, look around you; how many young Americans would you send into harms way to only temporarily halt, not stop the eventual killings? How many would you be willing to sacrifice for a country of little strategic value, no natural wealth and no great political objectives to speak of? I am aware of the "doing it for humanity" argument, but is it possible to stop every insane group determined to kill off parts of their own population? Are the superpowers supposed to be the world's police? Can they be everywhere all the time?

This is what annoyed me about Shake Hands With The Devil. The film ignored every important question to focus on making western audiences feel guilty. The movie even claims the Catholic Church could have stopped the bloodshed if only the churches had just preached, "thou shalt not kill" with more vigor. My intelligence was personally insulted by that foolish statement.

Rwanda suffered a terrible genocide, but was it preventable? History has shown that stopping genocide once it starts is as impossible as stopping an avalanche. It seems that all you can do is try to contain it and then pick up the pieces once it's over. Is the USA to blame for not invading the country and stopping it? Would we have had any right to go in there?

Shake Hands With The Devil offers trite and ridiculous answers to all the wrong questions about Rwanda. If sensible liberals acquiesce, the suffering of the innocent victims of this genocide will be appropriated by flaky limousine liberals just so they can show off their humanity by wallowing in guilt at cocktail parties. And as much as I like to see annoying liberals suffer, the Rwandan dead deserve better.

Walloon Weary from the Loss

[tedg · 2 July 2010]

This comes to me as recommended for two reasons. One is that I will be going to do something in Rwanda, and am trying to find out as much as I can. The other is that I am deep into an experience with documentaries, trying to understand the form.

The background: small UN peacekeeping force is sent to Rwanda to monitor a treaty settling a civil war. Shortly after getting there, things explode. Between 800,000 and 900,000 of the minority are killed in three months, mostly by kids with machetes protected by the military. Another 100,000 perish in the camps and aftermath. The trouble originated with Belgian/French rulers decades ago, with the French equipping the murderers until the last moment knowing their intent.

But we had UN troops on the ground who easily — easily — could have prevented the genocide, but for French and Belgian demands that they stand down and basically watch (after getting the Europeans out). The most frustrated, haunted man in the world that year was the general in command of the toothless UN mission. He ran himself nuts with trying to get the world to pay attention. The genocide only ended with the victory of the rebel army. On return home, this general tried drinking and suicide, ultimately stabilizing.

The documentary is his return to Rwanda ten year after the genocide. He is one of the easiest screen personalities to know that I have encountered. We walk with him as he encounters his demons, some of which are shown from footage of the disaster and him in it, harried but determined.

The business about evil matters here. This is not some made up cosmology. The General is a deeply religious man, a Quebecer, which is to say he is a Roman Catholic of that particular French strain that holds strong abstractions about the celestial battle of good and evil. Evil on Earth had the possibility of reality for him. He would have been aware of the (French- speaking) Belgian atrocities in Congo and Rwanda and how they were supported by the French-led Catholics. When the genocide began, he witnessed priests assisting and the Pope frustrating outside involvement.

When he left that ruined country, what he knew was that he had encountered the devil face to face, had lost, and he now bore the responsibility for a million cruel needless deaths. He speaks of shaking hands with men he knew to be possessed. Now, on his return, he encounters his own devils and doubts while fearing that the dark master would reappear. His patient wife is with him, seeing the land for the first time.

We follow this man, his feet, his mind and his soul. We hear the horror and guilt, all the while seeing him be celebrated by those he knew. When he stands in a spot and speaks of what he cannot wash from his eyes, we see it as well, an inner cinema. We cannot possibly feel what he does, but the reality of a devil that can ambush — this strikes a deeper fear than any fictional horror movie can

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Superb movie tailored for a Canadian audience

[rogerqc77 · 10/10 · 28 September 2007]

This superb and movie will be doomed for failure in the USA, no it does not have a superhero that will stop WWIII, it does not have a deluge of special effect. It is just the story of a very brave man who listen to his hearth and tried to save as many lives as he could and refused to listen to orders, politicians and false promises made by the United Nations.

Graphic it is, humane it is too. Americans will hate it as it is very Canadian in its approach.

On TV former President Bill Clinton said the Rwanda tragedy was the worst failure of his career. It was that of the Canadian Government too as well as that of the United Nation. Amidst all that horror a man refuse to give up. A must see movie that Canadians will love and Americans will hate for the hero is not an American this time.

Could Not Take a Break

[antihate · 10/10 · 28 June 2006]

I saw this film on DOC TV on the Dish Network last night and could not take a break. I was furious that this was taking place while OJ was on trial and it was the stupid OJ trial we were being bombarded with day in and day out while genocide was taking place. Those that now rent the public airwaves should be jailed for not abiding by the laws they are to adhere to when they use the public airwaves.

From beginning to the end I was glued to my seat. Dallaire is a hero in my book, and should be to all humanity-loving people. This is a must see documentary. However, it would've helped more if we had seen what was going on WHILE it was happening!

An enriching spiritual journey

[tallard · 9/10 · 17 October 2006]

I missed the opening as I found this documentary while zapping. The documentary channel is new to me and I'm loving it quite a bit.

Shake hands with the devil had special meaning to me as it gave me a glimpse back into the heartfelt emotions that so many of my old compatriots have deeply rooted in their hearts and souls. I am certainly no militarist lover. I've watched many a documentary by ex-politicians/military personnel trying to say "I'm sorry" about various wars. I've watched both previous movies on the Rwandan genocide, but this documentary hit home the hardest because, instead of showing the gut-wrenching and sensational time of killings, it brings to light the inaction of the rest of the world and the reasoning behind it. (well it's not completely void of gore, as there's actual footage of murdering, but always a far distance in the background.) I think it takes great courage to go public with one's sense of culpability and insufficiency, ones depression and sense of hopelessness. This is a depiction of human sorrow in nearly it's purest form, both at the deeply personal level and also on the international scale. As the closing remarks state so well, we have learned nothing, it could all happen again tomorrow, how can we live with such sorrow as that truth.

Dallaire Should Be Commended

[view_and_review · 10/10 · 9 April 2021]

I watched the dramatized movie titled: "Shake Hands with the Devil" and I loved it. And as IMDb is wont to do, they recommended similar movies and this documentary came up having the self-same title. I thought, "Of course, I want to see the real Romeo Dallaire." I was not disappointed. In fact, this documentary makes me have even more respect for the former U. N. General in Rwanda.

If you're late to the global conflict party, then you need to know that in 1994 there was a genocide that occurred in Rwanda on the part of the majority Hutus against the minority Tutsis. To the untrained eye, such as my own, it seemed like indiscriminate killing because I couldn't tell the difference between either tribe. And before you say that I suffer from cross-racial confusion, I am African American, so I'm not saying, "They all look alike." No, in this case they are very much alike, and before the Belgians issued identification cards in 1916, they were all one people. So, in essence, what played out in 1994 was a result of the segregation and favoritism implemented by Belgians in 1916. Am I saying the Belgians picked up guns and machetes and start slaughtering people? Absolutely not. Those who instigated genocide and participated in the genocide are 100% guilty for their own crimes. I'm just saying the Belgians can't claim total innocence.

Canadian soldier Romeo Dallaire was put in charge of a peace-keeping mission in Rwanda by the U. N. He was made a general and had control of all U. N. troops under UNAMIR (United Nations Assistance Mission In Rwanda). The entire situation was a mess and the U. N. didn't do much to help, but Dallaire wouldn't abandon Rwanda or the prone Tutsis. His conscience wouldn't allow him to flee when so many more helpless men, women, and children were being slaughtered.

"Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire" is a walk-through time as Dallaire revisits the scene of so many atrocities ten years later. He and his wife visit the various spots in Rwanda where he'd witnessed and prevented senseless bloodshed. Dallaire is very matter-of-fact about everything that occurred and his opinion hasn't changed one iota in ten years. Honestly, I'm glad someone like Dallaire was there and remained there when the U. N. and everyone else pulled out, because there needed to be at least one person to tell the story to the rest of the world.