Shake Hands with the Devil is a sober, harrowing chronicle of one man's attempt to escape the guilt and regret of having witnessed one of the greatest catastrophes of the 20th century, and being powerless to stop it.

| Jan 29, 2020

Documentary should have been more about what happened in Rwanda rather than just about his personal feelings and his return trip. Very one-side picture of a highly criticized UN official. Paul Chambers, CNN.

| Original Score: C- | Dec 30, 2009

Full Review | Original Score: 88/100 | Sep 29, 2007

Raymont gets the most out of what little footage and still photographs remain from 1994.

| Mar 1, 2007

| Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 1, 2006

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 6, 2005

You can't imagine a worse situation, but at the same time it's hard to imagine that a better man could've been on the scene, even if he was rendered powerless in the face of evil.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Oct 21, 2005

The documentary is effective, though at times it's a challenge to watch.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 23, 2005

The documentary tends to focus more on Dallaire's plight than that of the massacred Rwandans, but it remains a powerful testament.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 23, 2005

An overpowering film that will leave viewers shaken and ashamed.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 16, 2005

A searing indictment of the tragedy that occurs when good men choose to do nothing, and a portrait of a man who deserves respect for having tried to confront evil head-on.

| Original Score: B+ | Sep 6, 2005

A personalized, historically charged travelogue that speaks to a massive tragedy's impact on one man.

| Original Score: B+ | Sep 2, 2005

Gut-wrenching, incredibly moving, and informative about a man who still suffers and a country that still mourns.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 2, 2005

Tries to tell two stories -- the story of the genocide and the story of Romo Dallaire -- and it doesn't quite succeed at either.

| Sep 1, 2005

A tragic reminder of how that overused epithet, 'Never again', makes hypocrites of us all.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 9, 2005

In a way, Shake Hands With the Devil puts the best of Western conscience on display -- and it's not a pretty sight.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jul 8, 2005

We never get a satisfying re-creation of the events for which Dallaire now suffers.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 8, 2005

Offers a rare and privileged portrait of a heroic man profoundly troubled by a terrible experience.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 1, 2005

... blunt, somewhat artless, but very effective.

| Original Score: B- | Jun 30, 2005

[Dallaire] makes for a fascinating focal point ... a fundamentally decent man, cursed with a horribly total recall. He can't stop seeing it.

Full Review | Jun 30, 2005