Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:95
Fresh:76
Rotten:19
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Well researched and finely crafted, Standard Operating Procedure is another gem from master documentarian Errol Morris.
Theatrical Release:18-07-2008
Synopsis: Master filmmaker Errol Morris turns his keen eye to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in this intense and provocative documentary. Using interviews with the soldiers that appeared in the now infamous... [More]
Director: Errol Morris
Reviews for Standard Operating Procedure
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 4/5 |
For American military personnel to descend to Saddam's level was one of the worst moments in US history, and Morris's film reveals the truth: the poisonous Abu Ghraib pictures were not merely an American scandal but a human catastrophe. Full Review |
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Morris's distillation of long talks with young ex-soldiers and the female general who commanded prisons all over Iraq is among the best documentaries on the Iraq war. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Engaging, well-made documentary that will provoke outrage, shock and horror in equal measure. Full Review |
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4/5 |
As shocking are the prisoner treatments permitted as "standard operating procedure". A disturbing, dispassionate investigation. Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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79/100 |
Fascinating and horrifying, especially if you take a step back and view it thinking about what it tells us about the society in which these abuses took place. Full Review |
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8/10 |
Examines both the mystery of primitive human instincts and the nature and power of photography. Full Review |
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B |
Click to read the article Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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Morris never gets close to the administrative attitude that apparently sanctioned, perhaps even encouraged the goings-on, despite Karpinski's contention that 'none of this produced useful intelligence.' Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Haunting photographs and video seemingly point a finger at the low-ranking indicted soldiers. Equally haunting is the notion that journalists and the public assumed they had seen everything. Full Review |
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A worthwhile... meticulously reported film, splashed with [Morris'] own, unique style. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Standard Operating Procedure is a brilliantly, almost self-consciously, stylish film. Full Review |
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4/5 |
In taking us beyond the edges of those infamous photographs, he shows us a system that did more than produce a few bad apples; it was rotten to the core. Full Review |
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84/100 |
...at times it veers dangerously close to being just another solipsistic horror show, another magic trick in which absolution is achieved through ordinariness. Full Review |
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4/5 |
In taking us beyond the edges of those infamous photographs, he shows us a system that did more than produce a few bad apples; it was rotten to the core. Full Review |
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A film of great sadness about how we humans debase ourselves; it's also an important reminder to never jump to conclusions from appearances Full Review |
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4/5 |
In some ways, Standard Operating Procedure is too appalling to appreciate. It's like watching the Nuremberg Trials, Nazis purposefully passing the buck higher and higher up, fully aware that no one above a certain rank is around to take the blame. Full Review |
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Morris offers valuable new perspectives on Abu Ghraib, but the paying customers may not care to go there again. Full Review |
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2/4 |
Non-essential Morris. Pick any other documentary to find more interesting and colorful subjects. Full Review |
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