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Movies / On DVD / The Fog of War
The Fog of War

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The Fog of War (2003)

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Reviews Counted:133

Fresh:130

Rotten:3

Average Rating:8.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: Documentarian Errol Morris directs THE FOG OF WAR, a captivating look at Robert S. McNamara, who served as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The movie... Documentarian Errol Morris directs THE FOG OF WAR, a captivating look at Robert S. McNamara, who served as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The movie does not exclusively focus on this part of McNamara's career, however, and instead gives a broad overview of the man he was, his multitude of roles--a Harvard Business School graduate, a Colonel in the Air Force during WWII, president of Ford Motor Company--and his opinions on a variety of historical topics. Inspired by two books written by McNamara--IN RETROSPECT (1995) and WILSON'S GHOST (2001)--Morris gives McNamara a forum to talk about the decisions he made and the influence he had during his career. At the age of 85, McNamara has gained necessary perspective to do just that. Sharp as a tack, loaded with charisma, and generally fascinating, McNamara easily carries the film with his revealing interviews. Meanwhile, Morris's use of archival footage--along with maps and other effective visual aids--add context to McNamara's commentary, and Philip Glass's ominous, pulsing score gives the film's important subject matter the gravity it deserves. [More]

Starring: Robert S. McNamara

Starring: Robert S. McNamara

Director: Errol Morris

Director: Errol Morris
Producer: Michael Williams, Julie Ahlberg
Composer: Philip Glass
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

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Reviews for The Fog of War

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Morris seems to go deep. But does he? The film is Morris’s but the message McNamara’s... The film is effective emotionally -- sometimes unbearably so. Intellectually...?

comment Comment
07/09/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Fascinating look at an influential old man looking back on his life, enlivened by strong graphics and news footage, with a great Philip Glass score.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
05/19/04
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

It should be required viewing for Bush and Rumsfeld.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
05/13/04
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
05/08/04
Sunday Times (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

His accounts are thought provoking and timely.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/09/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

I'm dismayed when movies like this come along, because they deserve to be seen. But audiences generally don't give them what they deserve.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
03/31/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

This brilliant, uncompromising film should be seen by everyone.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
03/31/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Morris’ recent win of the Best Documentary Oscar was well deserved.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
03/18/04
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

With The Fog of War the human frailties of power and policy are brought into focus with our current situation. Who else is freaked out?

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
03/18/04
Jimmy O
Jimmy O
Film Snobs

Admittedly this was a fascinating watch despite my reservations about the interview.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/17/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
03/16/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Offers a couple of hours of brilliant clarity amid the noise and chaos.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/16/04
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

For those of my generation, the true resonance in the film may be in the constant juxtaposition between the then and the now of the McNamara life.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/16/04
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

The words "I’m sorry" just don’t exist in McNamara’s Orwellian techno-speak vocabulary.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
03/12/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

The "lessons" provide the framework for the film in a stylistic homage to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, but McNamara's advice leans more toward Machiavelli's political pragmatism.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
03/11/04
Matt Kelemen
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

it's clear Morris is taking aim both at the tough-talking Texan who lived in the White House 40 years ago and the one who's currently there...

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
03/11/04
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Enjoy your Oscar, Errol Morris. As you were the first to say, you deserved it.

Full Review Source: Mixed Reviews | comment Comment
03/10/04
Martin Scribbs
Martin Scribbs
Mixed Reviews

A fascinating look at a proud, stern, media-savvy giant of a man not so much interested in atoning for past sins as lecturing us about the inherent flaws of human nature.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
03/08/04
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

Engrossing from start to finish... but it may be Morris's least challenging film...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
03/08/04
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Even if you aren't a history buff or normally watch documentarties, Errol Morris' film is fascinating.

Full Review Source: Des Moines Register | comment Comment
03/05/04
Jeffrey Bruner
Jeffrey Bruner
Des Moines Register
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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