Customer Reviews

Why We Fight

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Although there were parts of this documentary that have already been well covered by such films as Farenheit 9/11 and the general news media, this is a great doc for getting back to the basics, reinforcing some disturbing points that we probably don't want to think about too much, and shedding a great deal of light on American foreign policy and the Military Industrial Complex.

President Eisenhower is the prophetic hero of this movie, when he predicted that, left to continue as it was, the Military Industrial Complex would take over the country and rule every decision (that's my paraphrasing, anyway). The sections of the doc detailing the history of this Complex, and America's involvement in various wars, is chilling and highly educational.

The film also follows the personal story of one retired cop whose son died in the Twin Towers. He talks about his anger, his thirst for revenge, and how he asked the US army to dedicate a bomb to be dropped on Irag to his son's memory - they sent him the photos and the details of where it landed. When President Bush finally, openly, said there was no connection whatsoever between Iraq and 9/11, the ex-cop's anger turns on the President, he can't believe he's been lied to. While it may have been obvious to the rest of the world (plenty of people I know predicted America would go after Iraq as soon as 9/11 happened, because it was the perfect time and a policy Bush senior had aimed for too), his story highlights how persuasive and censored the US news media is.

The film makers had access to the Pentagon, and interviewed people from both sides of the argument, as well as the two men who dropped the first bombs on Iraq and a scientist who fled Vietnam because of America's war and who now builds missiles for the US.

This film perfectly compliments others in the field. It is simply told (a kid in primary school could follow it) but this makes the whole sorry mess more accessible for understanding, and makes clear how confused the ordinary citizens of America really are, as the politicians take advantage of their grief after 9/11 and twist it to support their own agenda.