This documentary was a big surprise for me. Essentially I just stumbled upon it. I'm fairly familiar with the world of war documentaries and related names/titles in journalism, research, film and publications (e.g.: Michael C. Ruppert, Jeremy Scahill, Paul W. Singer, Chris Kyle; Dirty Wars, First Kill, A Long Way Gone, old school Vice reports like Liberia etc.), but I've never seen this gem before. It's a typical example of quality film making: in the first minute of the documentary I was already riveted into my seat. The intro, the editing, the content and the way this all added up was just a really powerful mixture. This is a straight-talking, no-nonsense documentary about the world of PMCs, and with almost no bias, partly because at least half of the people interviewed in this title come from a PMC background, so you get first hand reports about what this is all about, not unfounded speculations. Some of the most well known figures in this world appear on the screen through the ca. 90 minutes, all edited cleverly, stories sometimes with the aid of funny illustrations and Gerard Butler's great voice narrating as James Ashcroft, a former PMC worker, others with gruesome real life outtakes and news segments, so beware, you'll see some grizzly things. As they say, war is hell. The story definitely makes a full circle in the end, I think it is well worth your time and attention. All in all, if you are interested in an honest documentary on what war is like and what PMCs are about, this is one you should watch. It had such an impact after its release it was even used as a source for blockbuster movies like Blood Diamond, whose main character is loosely based upon Cobus Claassens, one of the most well known figures amongst South African private military contractors, also appearing in Shadow Company.Highly recommended title!

I saw the trailer for this film and having worked in Iraq was intrigued by it and never heard another peep about the film. I did a trawl recently looking for it after a conversation in which I remembered it (thank goodness for youtube as had forgotten name) and then went to the website and bought it.There is much said about the security world and this really is an incredibly well balanced documentary. It shows the good and the bad, the professionals and the idiots. Mostly it is an incredibly well made film, everything is explained well, the editing is slick, the interviewees are varied and incredibly knowledgeable.If you want to begin to understand the private security world this is a must see, it is also a must see if you want to try and understand Iraq and its reconstruction.Well done on such a good production.

I just received my copy in the mail, and to be honest, I was completely surprised by the sheer entertainment value of the film. it's edited remarkably well, written well, and the interview subjects are interesting, and entertaining. Graphics and text inserted during conversation explain technical phrases or give statistics that you'd ask for naturally, so there's no drop off in wishing things were explained more. It's quite neat. The documentary is very objective, taking no side in the issue. It goes back quite a ways in the contemporary history of the Mercenary/Contractor world, while still being relevant to today's world.Highly recommended to anyone interested in Foreign Policy, or Military oriented subjects.-Chris

Almost everything you ever wanted to know about mercenaries, Shadow Company objectively provides historical background as well as poses questions on the importance of being informed about contract military today.The filmmakers neither condemn or glorify those who chose this line of work, although in the backlash against military in general after Abu Ghraib stories broke, it may appear to be more sympathetic to at least some of the subjects in the film. In fairness, it is balanced, and focuses not on the right or wrong of contract military/security firms, but on history, structure, and how they fit into global military action, from Sierre Leone to Iraq. It's a thoughtful, articulate documentary.