Who payed the critics

Boring

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Dirty Wars (2013) was co-written by David Riker and Jeremy Scahill and narrated by Scahill. It was directed by Rick Rowley. This powerful documentary is based on work done by investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill. Scahill is an amazingly courageous war reporter who left the Green Zone in Afghanistan to report on a U.S. raid against unarmed civilians, in which five people were killed. The victims included two pregnant women.The U.S. government routinely denies these incidents, or claims that the people who were killed were terrorists, or, at best, admits they were collateral damage. However, once Scahill had met the survivors, and spoken to them at length, he didn't let the story stop there.He used all his skills as an investigative reporter: interviews, thousands of documents, and some anonymous whistle-blowers. By diligent investigation, Scahill was able to learn that what he had seen was not unique. In fact, a covert U.S. military force exists that has been given authority to kill any person, anywhere, at any time, if that person is deemed—by someone—to be a threat to the U.S.It's hard to believe that there's a military organization that's more secret and more vicious than the CIA, but there is, and Scahill has the evidence to prove it.Another IMDb reviewer has asked why this story isn't more widely known. There are several reasons. One is that the U.S. government can always claim that the information is a secret part of the "War on Terror." Also, the mainstream media tend to have very cozy relationships with the U.S. government, and they don't want to rock the boat. And, of course, the U.S. government has infinite financial and legal resources to use against anyone who comes too close to the truth.Having said all that, I think an even more basic problem is that we in the United States have become numb to killings, tortures, and any other injustices done in our name. We don't want to hear just how far we have moved from a moral, overt sense of mission to an endless series of cruel and immoral acts carried out in secret.The film is carefully made, extraordinarily detailed, and absolutely riveting. It was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary in 2013. (It's won many other awards.) If you care at all about U.S. foreign policy, truth in government, or international morality, Dirty Wars is a must-see movie. I saw it on a large screen when it was shown at a local college, SUNY Geneseo, but it will work just as well on DVD. (You don't go for the scenery; you go to hear the message.) Don't miss it!Note: Jeremy Scahill was recently awarded the prestigious William Sloane Coffin Peace Award by Peace Action New York State, the largest peace organization in the state.

Scahill is one of the best in the business. How do I know that? Because of the leagues of useful idiots for the war machine that come out and try to discredit this documentary without ever challenging a single fact in the presentation.I don't know if these are paid government shills or if they have other personal gains involved or if they are just pathetically blind sheep who will spew out any government propaganda their masters in the industrial military complex tell them to but they are the furthest thing from the patriots they pretend to be.They are dangerous cowards who hurt America. Not much better than the terrorists they are always thumping their chests about.

For those of you so willing to vilify our government over things done in war, where is your outrage at the acts of terror done to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, diplomats, students and missionaries done by these savages over the decades? In war things go wrong sometimes. It is not planned that way, it just happens. We don't go in looking to kill civilians, but for some reason you seem to forget the intentional and deliberately gruesome be-headings these people performed on captives and innocents. Having worked in this "field" for many years I can say that while there are inevitable regrets, we never, ever go in with the purpose to do harm to innocents.The fact that so many of you are willing to damn your own government along with the men and women who keep you safe in your cushy beds watching netflicks and twitting your latest "bad day at work" scenario is a sad example of the depths to which our country has sunk. Maybe if you spent more time off facebook and out of starbucks you would have a more realistic view of the world and not believe every film, book, or new commentary that pops up.If you dislike the U.S. so much go live in the mountains of Afghanistan or Iraq with the people you seem to idealize and see how long you last and how long they remain your friends.

I loved this documentary for the most part but felt the narrator was mellow-dramatic at times. i also found the approach of storytelling quite tedious and a little self-indulgent. I understand the narrator needed to tell the story in this way as he was the journalist who began the investigation over a decade ago, but I felt at times it lacked creativity. My biggest problem with this documentary was it's ending. The story just seemed to go nowhere; or 'fell off a cliff" as my documentary tutor would say. The journalist had copious amounts of video evidence to which he done nothing about other than put it in his film. Why did he not bring it to the Whitehouse and demand comment and put the Generals of JSOC under pressure?The line 'I realize now this story has no ending" for the fact the war on terror will always be in operation is a cop out on the producers part, it's a lazy way of saying I have worked so long on this film which has no ending but I want to get it out into the public domain. I feel in the end he was blinded by the excitement to release it rather than wait another 2 years to find a strong conclusion.Apart from the above it is still an excellent documentary which is thoroughly enjoyable and well deserves its nomination for the Oscars, however I do not think it will win for its storytelling element over its political message.