Cinematographically well-crafted, judiciously cast, superbly acted, sensitively and intelligently scripted and directed by the brilliant Raoul Peck (who also wrote and directed "Sometimes in April", probably the best film yet made on the Rwandan genocide), the film dramatically snapshots an important and defining moment in the history of the Congo. Eriq Ebouaney's persuasive performance in the role of Patrice Lumumba is especially impressive. Film, however, is often a poor medium for representing the depths and intricacies of history: there's only so much one can pack into 115 minutes. And this is where the film sadly flounders: while for those who know the history the film serves as a dramatic and recognizable--yet elliptical--synopsis, for those who know little of the decolonization of the Congo the film will be a poor surrogate for books such as Ludo de Witte's "The Assassination of Lumumba". My advice would be to read first, watch the film only afterwards. The film generated some controversy in 2002, when Frank Carlucci, a former American government official and protege of Donald Rumsfeld, persuaded HBO to delete a reference to him during the airing of the film. The scene in question involves a group of Belgian and Congolese officials deciding whether to kill Lumumba. Carlucci is asked for input, and he mumbles that the US government does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries. At the time, Carlucci was the second secretary of the US Embassy in Congo. He denies playing any role in the death of Lumumba: "The scene is tendentious, false, libelous; it never happened and it is a cheap shot."