Terror's Advocate (2007)

"Terror's Advocate" is a gripping exploration of the life and career of Jacques Vergès, a renowned yet controversial attorney known for his defense of society's most infamous outcasts and revolutionaries. The documentary sails through the turbulent waters of Vergès's life, from his days as a guerrilla in the Free French Forces to his work as a lawyer for the likes of the Khmer Rouge, Carlos and his associates, and even Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie. The film masterfully interweaves archival footage, vintage photographs, news articles, and contemporary interviews, inviting viewers into the enigmatic world of Vergès. His intriguing blend of charm, arrogance, and playfulness is revealed through these interviews, as are his unorthodox courtroom strategies, and his mysterious disappearance from 1970 to 1978. "Terror's Advocate" doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of Vergès's career, probing his connections with the Nazi regime, and his defense of Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy. Vergès’s marriage to Djamila Bouhared, a member of Algeria's FLN, is depicted as a turning point in his life, adding a personal dimension to his radical and anti-colonial ideology. Throughout the documentary, the audience is nudged to ponder on the roots of Vergès's radicalism. The film suggests that his relentless pursuit against colonialism remains at the core of his enigma. "Terror's Advocate" is an unflinching portrait of a man who made a career out of defending the indefensible, and in doing so, became a paradox himself.

Terror's Advocate is a documentary movie featuring Jacques Vergès.

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