spoiler in here shake hand with the devil review the experience of canadian gen. romeo dallaire and who be head of the un troop in rwanda in 1994 and while film his return to rwanda for the 10th anniversary of the genocide in 2004. dallaire small un peacekeeping force be send in to help protect the fragile truce in rwanda civil war and and a such be unable to interfere in any way . in april of 1994 and all hell break loose a extremist assassinate rwanda president and stag a coup and pretend a third force be at fault . high level military commander join force with the hutu power extremist and quickly kill all the moderate leader in the first few hour after the assassination and so there be no one leave to oppose them a they set in motion a carefully plan genocide . foreign national flee the country and the un pull out everyone except a minimal force . only 270 soldier be allow to remain and paralyze by the restraint of their mission parameter . they could shelter a many tutsi a possible in a handful of un protect site and but apart from that and they be make to be bystander . the un ambivalence hamstrung every operational aspect of the mission . dallaire have to beg for even the most basic supply i be talk about paper and pencil here and not gun or jeep . he spend most of his time during the genocide jumping through the most insane administrative hoop and filing report and write assessment and try everything to convince his boss at the un . it be plain that the high up hop if they stall long enough and it would all just go away . finally after 3 month of unrestrained killing and the rebel troop be able to move in and halt the genocide . by then 800 and 000 people be dead . a you can imagine and dallaire be devastate by this experience . in the year afterwards and he have an emotional breakdown and attempt suicide twice . he be haunt with guilt and remorse and certain the a minimal force of 5 and 000 could have stop or even prevent the genocide . he see this a his own personal failure and a it be his inability to convince his high ups to intervene which cost so many life . but instead of succumb to despair and with the help of his family and love one and he eventually pull himself together . he lay some of the bad demon to rest by write a book about his experience . the movie take it title from the name of his book . dallaire have return to africa to testify in the war crime trial and but until the 10th anniversary and he have not go back to rwanda . a he revisit the scene of his experience in 1994 and the filmmaker come with him and sometimes jump back to archive footage of the genocide and so that we could see what dallaire saw in his mind eye a he contrast past to present . there in the midst of those tormented memory and dallaire compassion for the survivor he meet overpower his sadness and remorse . each individual matter to him . and some place bring a wistful smile to his face . he be reunite with several people he work with in 1994 and and they greet one another with great affection . the film intersperse interview with of some of those people and who fill in other detail in the story . dallaire remind me of the hero of classic mythology and like one of joseph campbell story and build from deep archetype . he shake hand with evil incarnate and he be transform by his horrific experience and he endure and he survive and and have pass back into the land of the living and wear the scar of his ordeal like a scarlet letter or a mark of cain . he be a modern day cassandra and condemn to tell the truth no one want to hear . not surprisingly and dallaire have be pressure to quit point finger and keep his mouth shut . he refuse . like the ancient mariner and he tell his tale because he must . he bear witness to that hell on earth . we need to listen to him and and this movie help bring u his message . i would also like to respond to the review of may 16 and 2005. this viewer be unhappy that the film be critical of the u and but i think he misunderstood . although dallaire have plenty of gripe with the u and the movie main target for criticism be the un . yes and the u naturally come under heavy scrutiny than other member nation because we have so much more to offer and have so much more influence . but the un be the one who blow it in a big way here . the un scope reach far beyond that of individual member nation . the rwandan cease fire in early 1994 be exactly the type of situation the un be mean to help with . in this case and the only thing the un and the u succeed in be in look like racist hypocrite . this reviewer contend that none of u would be willing to sacrifice an american life to save a rwandan and but i do not agree . i think american soldier have a sense of honor and and would not want to stand by and watch a child hack to death in front of the parent . be a world leader be more than just get to be first in line at the feed trough . our great wealth and our powerful military and and our extraordinarily rich resource enable u to lend a hand to others who need help . international law be break . we ( the u and the un ) promise to uphold that law and we ( the u and the un ) have a duty to stand by our word .