A fascinating doc from writer/director Laura Poitras, the second in her trilogy exploring America’s actions post-9/11.
The focus here is Abu Jandal, a former bodyguard of Osama Bin Laden who, having “turned away” from armed jihad, now drives a taxi in Yemen.
Poitras gathers an impressive range of sources, including despairing letters from Jandal’s brother-in-law Salim Hamdan, who’s awaiting trial at Guantanamo.
Abu cuts a charismatic, ambiguous figure, reluctant to renounce his Al-Qaeda oath of loyalty while fearing assassination by younger radicals.
