Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Gatekeepers Blu-ray Movie Review

History alive.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 13, 2013

There may be big stories that momentarily steal the international spotlight -- political unrest and upheaval in Syria and Egypt, North Korean saber-rattling, American political scandal -- but there's not a consistently more dynamic, dangerous, and misunderstood region in the world than Israel and the surrounding disputed territories. It's a region in a constant state of flux, in perpetual chaos -- not always physical chaos but certainly political, religious, and idealogical chaos -- and always on the brink of change. Yet its history shows that for all of the kinetic activity, the very real blood, sweat, tears, tensions, ideas, comings together and fallings apart, it always reverts back to that state of tense unease. And both sides share in the public eye blame. Whatever the truth may be, whatever the narrative of the day may say, one can be certain that, in many -- if not most -- cases, there's some soupy gray area at work beyond the distant black-and-white observations. What is it like on the ground, inside the intelligence halls, and beyond the history? The Gatekeepers examines the history of Israel and its relationship with the Palestinian people through the eyes of six heads of Shin Bet, Israel's top counterterrorism and espionage organization. From the fallout of 1967's Six-Day War through today, these individuals paint a vivid, sometimes startling narrative about what's behind media headlines, press releases, and history texts, bringing the audience ever-closer to the truths behind the world's most dangerous flashpoint.

History maker, storyteller.

Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency is one of the most secretive in a land of secrets. Those in its employ, working counterterrorism, fighting the battle against espionage, and keeping state secrets safe, are anonymous individuals. But at the top is the very public face of the organization's head. Yet despite their public identity, this is the first time they've been interviewed. They include Avraham Shalom (1980-1986), Yaacov Peri (1988- 1994), Carmi Gillon (1994-1996), Ami Ayalon (1996-2000), Avi Dichter (2000-2005), and Yuval Diskin (2005-2011). In The Gatekeepers, they discuss the consequences of the 1967 war, including the expanded borders, the taking of Jerusalem, and the sudden influx of Palestinians in Israeli territory. The men speak on combating terrorism, identifying terrorists, information gathering -- including interrogations -- and recruiting techniques. The Lebanon War of 1982, the "Bus 300" incident, and Intifada are also often tense subjects of interest. Topics also include the Oslo Accords, reaction to the peace process -- including the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin -- and changes in the Shin Bet in the aftermath, culminating with more recent events and the impact of antiterrorism campaigns and ethnic relations in the region.

Perhaps the most amazing part of The Gatekeepers isn't its content but rather the sense of real history that encircles these men, the unmissable, unmistakable feeling of a very different reality that shaped them, even defines them now, and in some ways even seems to haunt them. As they discuss some of the historical turning points that both redefined the region and reshaped the world, one can only wonder what it is they're not saying, what they're necessarily keeping secret, the truths behind the truths, or perhaps, even, the truths behind a fabrication or a bending of reality. Nevertheless, and disregarding whatever information isn't shared in the film's all-too-short 100-minute runtime, The Gatekeepers proves a veritable history lesson quite unlike anything amateur historians or perhaps even historical scholars have ever encountered. These interviews, whether hitting bullet points or digging well beyond them, prove significantly more dynamic than media blurbs or "History 101" highlights, and they often prove more compelling than even the most in-depth historical texts.

The Gatekeepers finds its success in the story, then, not in the simple retelling of history or even the reshaping of history but history as experienced and shaped from the inside. It's more like listening to a grandfather share his tales of World War II rather than reading about an event or watching it "unfold" on the History Channel. Director Dror Moreh (2008's Sharon) leaves flash behind, focusing entirely on his subjects and painting only the necessary supportive picture through archival footage and straightforward computer graphics to accentuate a moment. As such, it's not a visually dynamic Documentary. The reserved style suits the material beautifully as the filmmakers rightly rely on substance to carry the film, creating the nearly instant sense of audience envelopment that builds with each successive story, shared detail, and moment in history not only brought to life but painted through the eyes of someone deep from the inside. That's enough to carry the movie through, and if anything there's just not enough of it. Nevertheless, Moreh's film is one of the most compelling Documentaries in recent years, and its straightforward approach to shaping the emotional, psychological, physical, territorial, technological, even spiritual upheaval through an unmistakably dark contextual underpinning makes the film incredibly riveting despite its absence of visual and aural flash.

The Gatekeepers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Gatekeepers features a high definition transfer constructed of one-third HD video interview segments, one-third computer graphics, and one-third archival footage. The latter has been stretched out to fit the 1.78:1 format and suffers from the usual host of SD footage issues, including poor detail, bland color, and a host of inherent technical flaws. The computer images look fine, crisp and well developed though a bit on the visually bland side, per filmmaker intent. The meat of the transfer comes from the Shin Bet interviewee footage. Here, the transfer reveals very sharp and true HD video elements. Detailing on faces and clothing is unflappable. Colors are balanced and even, whether clothing or skin textures. The images are well defined and naturally sharp. The transfer is graded solely on the previous two elements, and aside from a slight bit of aliasing on a heavily checkered shirt, there's little worth a complaint. Another job well done by Sony.

The Gatekeepers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's not much happening in The Gatekeepers' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The interview segments come through clearly and evenly from the center channel with the accompanying subtitles streaming across the bottom of the screen. Much of the archival footage has been amended to add light supportive sound effects, such as footsteps or the rumble of an explosion during aircraft bomb camera footage. Musical delivery proves crisp and balanced, though certainly light and a bit aurally haunting. This is a simple track that delivers its basic elements and dialogue very well.

The Gatekeepers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Gatekeepers contains an audio commentary track and a lengthy Q&A session with the director. Both extras are phenomenal, particularly the commentary.

• Audio Commentary: Director Dror Moreh crafts a compelling commentary, discussing the process of assembling the picture, building new images and using archival footage, the film's narrative structure, the real-life history and politics the film covers, working with the heads of Shin Bet, and plenty more. This track is just as captivating as the film. A must-listen.
• Q&A with Director Dror Moreh (HD, 42:23): Moderator Stephen Farber conducts a session with the director in which he discusses the film's structure, the challenges in making the movie, the film's perspective, its Israel open, and much more. In English.
• The Gatekeepers Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:03).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

The Gatekeepers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Gatekeepers is a structurally simple but simply enthralling Documentary about recent Israeli-Palestinian history as told through the eyes of six of Israel's top ex-antiterrorism officials. They paint a compelling picture of the history that's quite unlike anything else, certainly more than armchair historians have ever known. It's a must-see for anyone, from either side, with any opinion on the political, religious, geographic, and historical confrontations in the world's most consistently uneasy land. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Gatekeepers delivers rock-solid video and audio. Two extras of substance are included. Highly recommended.