By Bob Polunsky
Movie Critic

"Darfur Now" documents controversial events in today's world and covers territory that hasn't been used for recent movies.

The setting is Darfur, a section of the Sudan in Africa. The topic is genocide because millions of people are killed every day in Darfur, and no one in the Sudan area is trying to stop it.

If people in various corners of the world didn't bring it up and demand that it end, the people of Darfur will cease to exist. Those who suffer needless deaths there would be as nameless as victims of the Holocaust during World War II.

Hollywood actor Don Cheadle co-wrote the book, "Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond," to inform the world about the genocide. George Clooney, a fellow actor who visited Egypt and found out what was happening in Darfur, had something to say about it as well, but Cheadle's comments have more punch. Cheadle also commented about law, order and respect for others the world over.

Cheadle is the chief voice for "Darfur Now," but not the only voice. He reminds us that all the people living in the Sudan area want good things in life like security in their homeland while they pursue happiness in their lives.

Their government has denied those things to the people of Darfur, and the Sudanese officials cried "foul" when U.S. officials publicly labeled the mass killings genocide. It's a dreaded word that means a government is allowing a segment of its population to be killed off.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, compares the genocide in Darfur to the stressful times in his native Argentina when a dictator sanctioned torture and mass killings in order to control the entire country. That reign of terror didn't end until all officials involved were prosecuted.

Overcoming the reign of terror in Darfur looks futile because the Sudanese government refuses to admit there is a problem, meaning they refuse to accept responsibility for the genocide. Ocampo's comments are meaningful but don't carry any weight. The Sudanese government does not recognize the International Criminal Court.

Pablo Recalde, the official who runs the World Food Program in Darfur, makes sharp observations about Darfur and about genocide. So does Californian Adam Sterling, the man who helped get a bill passed to eliminate Sudanese investments in California in retribution for the Darfur genocide.

Other comments from other countries condemn the situation, and the film documents them while showing scenes of the atrocities. Those scenes are reinforced by the comments of Recalde, Ocampo, Clooney and Cheadle and woven into the documentary.

Cheadle is the most compelling spokesman, building momentum with his sincerity and urgency. The need to do something about Darfur comes through in his voice, facial expressions and words, making "Darfur Now" an enlightening documentary.

Studio rating: PG

Bob says: "Well worth seeing" ***1/2