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THE FOG OF WAR Send This Review to a Friend
Director Errol Morris's compelling, totally absorbing documentary "The Fog of War" could not be timelier even though its focus is mainly on the Vietnam war. It is a documentary built around the regrets of Robert S. McNamara for his role as Secretary of Defense in the escalation of the fighting. McNamara, 85 at the time of the interviews for the film, sees the situation differently now, and he has plenty to say about war, government and dissembling from his present perspective. One can criticize some of his remarks as self-serving, but the fact is that he speaks plainly and provides lessons that should be applied to the present situation in Iraq. This is a film of great importance and the New York Film Festival Film Festival 2003 did well to preview it before its commercial release.
Morris enlivens the film with visuals so it does not come across as all talking heads. But the essence is what McNamara has to say and its pertinence to the world of today. The portrait of him reminds us of the folly that results in needless devastation. There are the usual gung-ho responses, as with Vietnam, and then the quagmire. Extricating a country from the mess is difficult for the fear of looking like losers. He also has regrets about his role in the firebombing of Japanese cities during World War II.
McNamara has learned from previous costly errors of judgment, but he is also a proud man who will only concede so much. One can praise him for his candor, and yet that doesn't forgive what he participated in regardless of why he went along with things at the time. He also is perceptive in his view of other horrors perpetrated. Mainly, the film has value today in view of the gung-ho actions in Iraq and the mess that the unilateral invasion created and the lessons we can learn from McNamara.
"The Fog of War" is one of the most important films of 2003. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
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