TNMC

It's hard to imagine a much more convoluted tale than that of Jacques Vergès' career. He is the lawyer who has defended and spoken for pretty much the worst people on earth. The idea that everyone deserves a fair trial with legal representation is a noble one that Vergès pushes to the most disturbing extremes. His list of clients is a rogues gallery of terrorists, thuggish dictators and warlords, with standout names like Carlos the Jackal, Slobodan Milošević and Klaus Barbie. The movie even starts off with Pol Pot giving Vergès a character reference.

Terror's Advocate

Vergès was born to a Vietnamese mother and father from Reunion, and fought for the French in World War II. After that he returned to France to study law, leaving again to defend Algerian terrorists. Young women like Djamila Bouhired were recruited to plant bombs in places like night clubs. Vergès made sure she avoided execution and later married her.

While Vergès seems to hold moral high ground by defending Algerians, who had been brutally put down by France in 1945, but quickly it seems clear he will defend anyone who plants a bomb, hijacks a plane or carries out assassinations. Attacks specifically targeting civilians would seem to be the dividing line between terrorists and freedom fighters but Vergès would not agree. He'd probably insist that you were exaggerating the case. He has a sly charm and quick wit that served him very well in the courtroom. But he also nurses a lot of anger against western colonialism and that would regularly put him in the corner of terrorists, or as he sees it, those fighting oppression.

While it seems his sympathy for their causes is genuine, it also seems very clear that his work is fueled by an enormous ego. In interviews, Vergès revels in stories about the ingeniuous ways he would defend his clients. He proudly proclaims that he has not lost a single client to execution. He took the case of Klaus Barbie simply because it gave him a platform to put France on trial for its atrocities against Algiers. Plus he could crow about beating the prosecution team of 40 lawyers. But he also lives well off his battles. Judging by the office he is interviewed in, he has done very well for himself in this line of work. Not to mention perks like marrying Bouhired or trying to swipe Carlos the Jackal's girlfriend. Maybe he isn't quite as noble as he portrays himself.

Barbet Schroeder's documentary is densely packed in information as it follows Vergès from being a soldier all the way through speaking up for Muslim terrorists as they became steadily more prominent on the world stage. There is so much here that it's likely multiple viewings would increase satisfaction with the movie. The story is so convoluted that it could only be believable by being true.

Vergès is a very charming man. His interviews show a man with great skill at portraying himself exactly as he wants to be seen. Left to his opinion alone, it would be impossible to indict him for his questionable career. But Schroeder has compiled interviews with plenty of other people, including Carlos from a prison to paint a more detailed picture of Vergès. Even more damning are documents obtained from East Germany's Stasi that indicate Vergès was a lot more involved with Carlos than simply providing legal advice. He always wants to be seen as the champion of the little people but he succeeds mostly in keeping the spotlight firmly on himself, which helps line his pockets very effectively.

It's not the sort of documentary with a happy uplifting mbessage. But it is exceptionally well made and so thorough in exposing Vergès to the light of day that you won't much notice the lengthy running time and forgive the twisted maze of a story.

- John Shea

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