The Bang Bang Club

The Bang Bang Club presents me with a dilemma. Which I think might very well be the intention of the film, but nonetheless I feel conflicted about the movie I saw.
The film follows four combat photojournalists in South Africa near the end of apartheid, and the danger they faced to get their photos. Now seeing as I was only in elementary school at the time, I have to admit, I'm not really 'up' on apartheid. Sure, I know general information about it, the ANC and Nelson Mandela, but I'm sad to admit that I was in the dark about the fierce civil clashes that were occurring in the country as it tried to become a more equal state, although, considering it's often referred to as the 'Hidden War' I suppose I'm probably not the only one.
The four men that made up the Bang Bang Club were Kevin Carter [Taylor Kitsch], Greg Marinovich [Ryan Phillipe], Ken Oosterbroek [Frank Rautenbach] and Joao Silva [Neels Van Jaarsveld]. These four men would literally throw themselves in the middle of the violence to get their pictures, risking life and limb to get images of the conflict so they could show the world what was really happening in South Africa. 
The story focuses mostly on Greg Marinovich, his joining the group and his rise to fame through his Pulitzer award winning photograph of ANC supporters brutally murdering a man they suspected to be a spy. Ryan Phillipe does a pretty good job as Marinovich, even if his South African accent could have used a little work, just a little. 
It also focuses to a somewhat lesser extent Kevin Carter. Despite his passion for the work, his troubles with drugs caused a lot of personal problems that eventually led to a downward spiral culminating in his suicide after winning the Pulitzer Prize for a photo he took of a starving Sudanese girl being stalked by a vulture. 
These two snapshots of the characters bring me back to my dilemma. I find the story interesting, but the characters aren't terribly likable. The photos they take are breathtaking and horrifying, and brought a face to an awful period in their country's history. However, they   remain apart, as media, but also as whites living in a segregated society. The real question of the movie, for me at least, becomes the role of media in a combat situation like this. Do you take action to save a life? Or do you stand apart to document it? When Marinovich tries to step in a stop ANC men from murdering the man they think to be a spy, they take swipes at his back with a knife. Carter takes a heartbreakingly perfect picture of the strife happening in Africa, but when questioned about the fate of the little girl, we're somewhat horrified to discover he has no idea what happened to her. He got his picture and moved on. In a time such as ours, so filled with conflict, and in an age where we can't get our news fast enough, this film is relevant for the questions it brings up about the place and role of media in conflict. 
Now that I think about it, this movie would probably best be seen with another person, because it sparks this kind of discussion. Instead I saw it alone and ended up ruminating over it on my own. The film definitely isn't for everyone, it's well shot, and tells its story well, but it depicts an extremely turbulent time complete with the violence and bloodshed that was occurring at the time. 
Whew! I have to say, I'm really looking forward to my lighter fare for next time, when I [along with most of the movie watching world, I would guess] will be seeing The Hangover 2.