Fight Like Soldiers Die Like Children (2012) User Reviews

Fight Like Soldiers is disappointing on a number of levels

[tonywohlfarth · 4/10 · 10 May 2013]

I screened the premiere of Patrick Reed's film at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto. Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children is ostensibly based on Dallaire's book of the same name and a sequel to the award-winning film Shake Hands with the Devil, about Dallaire's real- life experience as a general trying to prevent genocide in Rwanda. Reed & his crew film Dallaire as he travels to two countries - Sudan and the Eastern Congo- in support of UN efforts to extricate child soldiers from combat. There are a number of problems with this film. Reed endeavors to put General Dallaire at the apex of the story. Instead, he appears to be going along for the ride. Is this a film about Dallaire and his foundation(http://www.childsoldiers.org/) or a film about the use of child soldiers? At the premiere, Reed talked about how Dallaire became like a general again on his return to Africa. Clearly, he thinks it is the former! Let's recall that the book is a work of non-fiction. Reed has made other documentaries about Africa (The Team, Triage) and neither stand out as notable. Also, Peter Raymont is listed as the producer. He directed Shake Hands with the Devil. Raymont is brilliant at self- promotion, but its not clear what value-add he brought to the project (apart from notoriety and, of course, money). I had high expectations for this film, and unfortunately, Reed does not deliver.