In this documentary, Louis Theroux hangs out in Johannesburg-- probably the most dangerous city in the world. The rape and murder rates are the highest in the world and the police have pretty much abandoned policing many of the worst parts of the city. I have visited the town and much of it simply isn't safe enough to visit...even during the daylight hours. It seems that over the last couple decades, the white elite who once lived there moved out to the suburbs and have been replaced by gangs from around Africa that run the place. My explanation of the problem is one, oddly, that Theroux did NOT give in the show--the only serious weakness in the film.
What Theroux does do is give you a sense of what life is like here. Because the police are often out-gunned and reticent to act, peace is maintained by 'good' gangs (i.e., tough guys for hire) and the neighborhood, on occasion, dispensing justice themselves. It's violent, it's cruel and it's crazy and Theroux does his usual shocked everyman from Britain shtick when faced with the violence. In the process he and his film crew take a lot of crazy risks to get the story and it had me seriously questioning their sanity. But, it did make for interesting television.
What Theroux does do is give you a sense of what life is like here. Because the police are often out-gunned and reticent to act, peace is maintained by 'good' gangs (i.e., tough guys for hire) and the neighborhood, on occasion, dispensing justice themselves. It's violent, it's cruel and it's crazy and Theroux does his usual shocked everyman from Britain shtick when faced with the violence. In the process he and his film crew take a lot of crazy risks to get the story and it had me seriously questioning their sanity. But, it did make for interesting television.
