The Monopoly of Violence

In this stimulating — sometimes shocking — documentary about police violence, filmmaker David Dufresne examines the ways in which a government comes to justify brutal acts enacted against its own citizenry.
Its starting point is Max Weber’s famous thesis that a state has the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force. All aspects of this viewpoint are challenged in a refreshingly intelligent film, which confronts a panel of different people — protesters, philosophers, sociologists and police officers — with footage
from street riots to discuss them. With a great use of real-life footage and excellent in-depth discussions The Monopoly of Violence is an essential and timely reflection of the police, citizens and the state — and the right to rebel.