The idea of a mercenary is one that has existed since the advent of warfare, and is one that has seen increasing significance in the past decade and is an industry that will probably continue to grow especially as the rules of warfare change. However, the concept of a mercenary is one that comes with certain assumptions and is associated with a romanticized form in contemporary video games and action movies that do not capture the reality of the private military industry. The documentary therefore attempts to capture a realistic, balanced picture of modern mercenaries, that on one hand is sympathetic to their cause (or, perhaps, lack thereof), their contribution in the War on Terror and perhaps the fact that they do a job that most people would not do, but on the other hand also shows the implications of the privatization of military security as a multi billion dollar industry and the ambiguous status they occupy under the law leading to ethical discussions.

Shadow Company looks at a number of interviewees, from people within the industry to academics and journalists, in order to provide a balanced view characterized by in-depth personal knowledge from the top of private security companies, as well as an objective perspective provided by people without a personal interest in the industry. An interesting point is that none of the interviewees are from the US government administration that is making emphatic use of Private Military Company’s in Iraq.

The image of mercenaries has been long associated with raping, looting and pillaging given the historical precedent started by British soldiers in the peace following the Thirty Years War. As PMCs are for hire, they are not bound by the same political, moral, or legal obligations in the same way members of national military are. Thus, the latter is often seen to have more “legitimacy” in its actions. Indeed, this can lead to situations such as Abu Ghraib, which involved a number of private contractors in the torture of the detainees. This was described as a “wild west” scenario, especially with the huge amounts of money that the industry potentially brings in. in the post 9/11 climate, PMCs have seen exponential growth and is now a multi billion (over 100$ billion) industry; thus companies compete with each other for the most lucrative contracts without undergoing significant preparation until getting the contract. This, along with the modern glorification of mercenaries in video games such as the Far Cry series and TV and movies, has led to a glorification of the PMC industry. However, it is pointed out that there are professionals in the field who only fight causes that they believe in (although not enough to do it for free), although it can lead to situations such as the planned overthrow of the President of Equatorial Guinea to be carried out by mercenaries financed by British financiers. The choice of interviewees in this regard helps the cause for private security companies as they outline incidents and examples where mercenaries have served a positive function.

As a documentary, Shadow Company highlights a reality of the US and its War on Terror that isn’t discussed at great length and does so effectively in a way that identifies a function for private security while realizing the inadequacies in the infrastructure of the industry regarding the bidding of contracts and the legal status/jurisdiction of mercenaries.