Mounties Under Fire is a gripping journey into the heart of the RCMP during a period of profound crisis. Notorious for closing ranks, the Mounties open up to documentary cameras, revealing a painfully flawed organization fighting for its life.

It’s been a difficult decade for Canada’s national police force. Faith in the RCMP has been shaken — by Maher Arar’s betrayal, the pension scandal, harassment cases, and too many deaths on duty. And especially by the taser death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport and the subsequent Braidwood Inquiry.

Woven into the big picture — and sometimes colliding with it — are the very human stories of young recruits still willing to step into a force under heavy fire. With unprecedented access to Depot, the fabled RCMP training academy in Regina, Mounties Under Fire follows a troop of idealistic new recruits during their six months of basic training.

The camera’s remarkable access doesn’t end at Depot. From top brass to beat cop, this documentary captures a force in the throes of painful self-examination, struggling to get back to its core values.