alternatehistory.com

In the Pale Moonlight is a 2009 American war film that has been considered the definitive Congo War film and greatest American war film since Band of Brothers (2000). Frequently compared to Apocalypse Now, In the Pale Moonlight tells the story of a fictionalized version of the Navy SEAL Team Six, led by Captain Martin Walker (played by Jack Bowman) sent deep into the Congolese jungle to "neutralize" Jules Baganda (played by Idris Elba), a Congolese warlord who has become famous for his brutality. As the team moves deeper into the jungle to locate and destroy Baganda and his militia, its members are forced into increasingly desperate and brutal situations and begin to question whether they are any better than the man they are tasked to kill.

The film has been widely praised for its unflinching look at the dark side of the United Nations intervention in the Congo, and Elba's performance as Baganda has garnered universal acclaim. Nevertheless, the film is still extremely controversial in some quarters. Despite several recorded instances of torture and ethically dubious actions taken by special forces attached to the Congo Stabilization Force during the Congo War, the film's graphic portrayal of American soldiers beating and threatening captured Congolese soldiers (including child soldiers), as well as committing other brutal acts, has resulted in the film sometimes being considered "anti-American" and anti-military by American conservatives. The film's focus on mostly American characters has also been the point of criticism, as has the relatively shallow portrayal of most Congolese depicted with the exception of Baganda. During the film's production, the news that very few of the actors involved were African was also a point of controversy, which resulted in several minor roles being recast.

View attachment 293255