Killing Them Safely

First off I'm giving this a 5 out of 10, because the filmmakers did a good job with the one side to this story. I also think it is a bit curious that all the other reviewers that gave reviews that pointed out the film was extremely biased were overwhelmingly "unhelpful" reviews. Meanwhile the "This film changed my life!" reviews all got glaringly "helpful" reviews. This leads me to believe the filmmakers had all his or her friends "thumbs downing" all the negative reviews. For shame!

So I watch a lot of documentaries and sometimes you have to take a bit of bias with a grain of salt and sometimes it is warranted when atrocities are involved. The entire premise of this film hinges on the original claim that TASER International made that TASERs couldn't kill a human being. Well "armed" with the fact that over 128 people have died in the 15 or so years the modern TASER has been out, the entire film paints TASER as merchants of death. This is a prime critical thinking fallacy in that of 10's if not hundreds of thousands of people who have been "tazed", some have died while the filmmakers frame it so that it appears that there is an epidemic.

With that the filmmakers highlight several stories of either people misusing the devices, or the fluke instances where people reacted poorly and died. It's a shame, but as far as less lethal ways of stopping someone who is liable to hurt you or their self, having a 99%+ chance of "no" adverse effects? It's the most ideal tool out there. People lose sight that this is a tool intended for stopping someone who is going to harm others or their self. It's a tool for stopping further loss of life, not something that has a mind of it's own that goes out, hunts down victims, and purposely murders people. Removing the instances where the devices were used improperly there have been less than a dozen fatalities? As one of the TASER International brothers pointed out, more people are accidentally killed by falling coconuts than properly used TASERs on non- complying law breakers. Hey maybe law enforcement agencies should move to using coconuts? Although the exporter of coconuts would face litigation every other time a coconut resulted in a fatality.

I anticipate getting "thumbs downed" by all the filmmaker's friends for pointing out this might be one of if not the most biased film I've ever seen, but I have to support all the other "negative" reviews of this. Kind of interesting the exact same percentage of people that "thumbs up" the praising reviews are the exact same percentage that "thumbs down" the negative reviews huh? If the filmmakers highlighted how the TASER's have been misused and then illuminated how effective of a tool it is and has a remarkable safety record, then the viewer could make the logical deduction that the TASER is a valuable tool. Only showing the negative points and blatantly painting TASER International as villains will only serve to have people falsely make opinions of that company or product.

This movie reminds me of if someone had made one about a tobacco company at the time they were still denying a link between smoking and related diseases. The legal-speak used by the company executives comes across as insincere and duplicitous.

It seems like a fairly honestly made film. Focusing on something proposed as a non lethal solution, that turns out not be.

That said, the overriding issue that seems to be highlighted by the film is that they can cause death - and that they are overused. Most instances where there was a fatality, it was where the cops used it to subdue someone, not to disarm or avoid an extremely violent / homicidal individual.

So I can't help feel that the investigation should have concentrated on the people using them, and why they did in seemingly the wrong circumstances.

Killing them safely is a brilliantly made movie that captivates the audience. The storyline is riveting, as it takes you through an incredible story. The movie does a great job of digging deep and looking at a bigger picture. Tying all of the recent incidents with TASERS, and tying it back to the founders was brilliant. The interviews in the movie were excellent, and they did a great job of getting great footage. It's not easy to get this type of content for a movie, but this movie does just that. They were able to ask the tough questions to the people at TASER, and in return got great content. Overall, as a non-fiction movie, Killing Them Safely has the intensity and intrigue of a great fiction classic. You are engaged throughout the entire movie, and can't wait to see what is uncovered next. Nick Berardini directed a true masterpiece, and I am excited to see what else he is able to come up with in the future. Definitely a bright future ahead.

To take this movie seriously, you have to be willing to believe that our Home Office (like the Yanks FBI) is too stupid to see if the taser is doing more good than harm. This basketball playing filmmaker is arrogant enough to believe that he understand the science and statistics better than our top coppers. Based only on the interviews and trailer, this appears to be an advertisement for the Ambulance-Chasing Barrister Burton and his expert witness Zipes. I wonder if Nick is bright enough to even understand that he was worked by these smarter adults. Nick's arrogance more than compensates for his limited abilities since he has decided that he understands things that the Smith brothers did not. And Nick understands things better than 500 000 coppers that use these things. Amazing. What does Saint Nick want us coppers to do? Should we say, "Gosh we were too stupid to understand the pros and cons of these weapons, but now that Nick Bernardino has opened our eyes, we will throw them in the rubbish and go back to the club."The sad things is that people that are totally ignorant will cop work might take this film seriously and this could lead to more cop-hating out there.

I gave it 2 stars (instead of 1 star) for good editing and great trailer)

I guess every documentary is intended to make a point, but I watched this film with my jaw dropped because I couldn't believe how biased it is and how poorly the film maker defends his position. I registered w IMDb just to write this! Taser is to blame?? The film even highlights the fact that essentially 100% of deaths that occur following application of the Taser resulted from multiple / prolonged usage. The only fault I can find w Taser's founders is that they didn't immediately change training materials, etc, when reports of deaths started to suggest that multiple uses MAY result in death. As for their responses, I have to say... I would hope to have the presence of mind to answer in the same way. While some found their comments dodgy, I would argue that they truly are proud of what they've created and the fact that they have indisputably saved lives. Based on the information included in the film, the officers who used the Tasers too many times or in inappropriate situations are entirely to blame. And what is the alternative? More police brutality? Shoot subjects instead? I - as a regular citizen living in NYC - have seen situations go from seemingly normal to highly dangerous in seconds. I can't imagine what police officers may face on an average day. In their shoes, I would absolutely want to have a Taser as an option. I cannot imagine ANYONE walking away from this film thinking that we should ban Tasers altogether. Definitely a subject ripe for debate but, come on people. Let's make it an objective debate!