Every time I watch a documentary these days I can feel myself anticipating the moment when I really get the point the film makers are trying to Convince me of. It's like when I'm driving and I get that first little bit of road rage and suddenly I can feel myself looking for more reasons to get angrier and angrier. A lot of film makers play to your emotions, anger and fear being the best ones in my opinion, and I know I often get hooked in and by the end of the documentary I definitely have an opinion that was formed by the presentation of the info. It has made me biased.SHADOW COMPANY is different. The info is presented in a way that plays to a person's intellect, not to their emotions. They carefully examine the information and allow you to make a decision for yourself.The quality of the interviews is incredible. They are honest, heartfelt and true, not directed by the film makers to make a point. Having read some of Robert Pelton's books I can appreciate his knowledge and really enjoyed hearing his opinion.The directing and editing is amazing. Early on I got a feeling of the vision that went into the creation of this film and felt how it carried through right through to the credits.Overall this was a very well made film and I think that everyone should see it and recommend it to their friends. I really hope to see more from Purpose Films in the future.

There's a reason this doc is called "Shadow Company". These people literally operate in the shadows. Little is known by the general populace about the "private security companies" that augment our American military presence in places like Iraq. Before I saw this doc I knew virtually nothing and I consider myself to be a reasonably well informed person. I make a point of keeping up with current events. But it came as complete surprise to me that there are dozens of these private companies, their employees hired to provide security for foreign dignitaries and business executives who operate in war zones. They live the lives of soldiers and put their lives on the line as soldiers do and yet, when one of them dies, who mourns? Who even knows except their own circle of loved ones. This film will open your eyes.

An impressive documentary for several reasons: for offering an invaluable glimpse into a hidden component of modern warfare that may have grave consequences for the future; for infusing a sense of style (and even humor where appropriate) into the story, breathing new and much needed vitality into the realm of political documentary; and for posing the right questions to the right people and not ramming the answers down viewers' throats. It's seems that these filmmakers have no agenda other than making a good film and shedding light on a dark subject--refreshing to say the least. Well worth seeking this one out.

From the description, I expected Shadow Company to be a condemnation of privately run military companies, however the actual film turned out to be very well balanced and well put together.The film grabs varying viewpoints, from the soldiers in the field, to the executives that hire them, to ethics experts and more. The film looked at the issue from historical, financial, ethical, and effective standpoints.The film added liveliness and interest through clever use of overlays and cut-away scenes. It managed to add elements of humor from time to time that helped the film feel much less dry than other documentaries.The best part about the documentary is that it did not attempt to sell me a particular viewpoint. It left me still pondering everything that I had seen on the screen, and attempting to decide what I really felt about the issue.In total, one of the finer documentaries I have ever seen.