Fahrenheit 9/11 Movie Review:


Oscar winning documentarian Michael Moore looks into the US Government’s policies after the devastating attacks on September 11th, 2001. Through revealing testimony, video evidence and detailed research, he exposes the possibility of the fact that the Bush Administration might have used the tragedy to fuel their own agenda of finishing what his father started by invading Iraq.

Dowsed in controversy, political statements and grave indictments against the current Government, Michael Moore strives to make American people aware of what is going on in their country and the consequences of their actions overseas.

This is no-holds-barred, in your face material that pulls no punches when it comes to telling the US citizens the real motivations behind the fight against terror. Moore doesn’t shy away from showing footage of what could be disturbing and not show the country he lives in and loves in the best light.

Starting with the “election” of George W. Bush to the office of the President, Moore takes you through his first eight months in the White House, most of which he spent on holiday, to the moment the second plane hit the World Trade Centre. In a brilliantly understated remembrance of that terrible event, a black screen with sounds from the attack relying the terror and then the reactions of witnesses, Moore cuts to Bush’s reaction to the news at the time of great crisis. This is when the film grabs you and doesn’t let go.

From here on in we are shown how the propaganda machine was turned up to maximum, as the Bush Administration saw this as a chance to push forward with their own political agenda. From invasion of Afghanistan to the liberation of Iraq from Saddam’s tyrannical regime, the documentary tries to expose the true reasons behind the military action and the consequences of these policies.

To achieve this Moore refrains from this usual in your face style and spends little time on screen. He lets his footage speak for him, offering a simple but powerful narration to piece the evidence together. The material is evidence enough and instantly makes you take notice of what he is trying to say but there are a few things missing.

By taking more of a backseat to the footage, the movie loses some of Moore’s usual confrontational style. The film is more of a political statement than an exposé as we only ever see the Democrat side of the actions. He doesn’t try and interview any Republican representatives, even just to get any kind of reaction to his evidence, making the movie seem very one sided. Yes the evidence is compelling but you have to inject some objectivity into your arguments.

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a powerful documentary that all Americans, whatever their political allegiances, should see. Michael Moore has gathered together some damming evidence against the current policies of the US Government but it is the way he highlights how the escalating problems in occupied Iraq is affecting the families of US servicemen and women stationed there. This is when the movie is at its most powerful as it makes you think that whatever the reasons for going to war, there are always consequences in doing so.

Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

---

“The temperature where freedom burns!”

The documentary (if you can call it that) that stunned audiences at Cannes and has split opinions of future American voters is getting ready to burst into theatres.

The fourth theatrical documentary released from edgy director Michael Moore opens with the controversial Florida vote in the 2000 election that saw incumbent George W. Bush topple Vice President Al Gore for the presidency. Then the film’s timeline continues as it looks at the horrific events of 9/11 and eventually the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.

In the film there however seems to be three entities fighting for screen time. First you have a documentary that tries to cover the timeline of George W. Bush, then you have Moore’s mission statement to uncover the dark side of a president and finally you have a film of raw emotion that seems to tie everything together.

Moore’s timeline in the film is erratic as it jumps ahead quite quickly so that he can get it all in. So much is covered that we really never know where he is going to jump to next.

Moore’s mission to unseat a president seems to be the focus of his documentary and his bold one-sided argument is presented as a documentary but can it be classed as such. Documentaries are defined as a presentation of facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter. In Moore’s film he uncovers evidence and footage to support his hypotheses but does it without really giving the audience a chance to see the other side. Are his claims true? In some respects yes and in others who knows because he never allows the viewer to make their own conclusions.

Finally the third portion of his film deals with the epic struggle of a Flint, Michigan woman who loves her country and is devoted to sending her children into the military. In her city it seems to be the only recourse since most have no other choice. Her life and vision is abruptly shattered when her son is killed in the crash of a Blackhawk helicopter in Iraq. Her emotional breakdown and doubt of her country should have been the focus of Moore’s piece instead of his own Anti-Bush agenda.

Her story is crippling but its power is lost as Moore’s warpath overshadows the significance of what we sacrifice when our country goes to war. Moore does do a good job on uncovering the fact that a lot of rich well off senators don’t really care and think he’s nuts when he asks them to sign up their children for the military.

I won’t get into my views on the whole Bush situation, I won’t tell you my opinions of Moore or what he is doing because I am just here to look at how it is all presented.

It is an amazing piece of celluloid that is sure to make a lot of people mad. But at least with that they watched and listened to a viewpoint that isn’t at the forefront of democracy.

I just hope after the heat leaves the theatre that people think about what they saw, discuss it and develop their own conclusions. We should never follow anything blindly even if it is a charismatic president or an edgy documentarian.

(4 out of 5) So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Fahrenheit 9/11 and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.