i must have seen a different film!!

Great Film overall

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This documentary starkly (and unflinchingly) examines the prisoner abuse scandal involving American soldiers and detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the fall of 2003. Director Rory Kennedy offers a scathing indictment of how the lax policies of the Bush administration enabled the soldiers to blatantly violate clearly stipulated rules of the Geneva Conventions: The prisoners were deprived of sleep, stripped naked, and sexually humiliated. Worse yet, one female soldier even went as far as to have a photo of herself taken with the dead body of a slain captive while smiling and giving the thumbs up sign. While the soldiers who did this vile misconduct were penalized, the superiors who let this appalling stuff happen got away scot free. The soldiers try to justify their actions by explaining that they were merely "following orders," which speaks volumes on how they are rigidly trained to do exactly what they are told without questioning any of it for a minute. So the whole military mind comes into question here; it's terrifying to think about man's capacity for extreme cruelty and inhumanity when provided the proper circumstances to indulge in such things (Donald Rumsfeld approved in a memo the harsh techniques the soldiers applied to the prisoners while the climate at the prison was unbearably tense and thus conducive to all kinds of brutality). One interviewee says it best when he remarks, "There's no such thing as a little bit of torture." Indeed. Torture is torture no matter what's being done and that's just flat-out wrong according to the Geneva Conventions. Searing stuff.

The point of the documentary was to show that the acts carried out at the prison were under the direction, authority and knowledge of high-ranking military and executive office personnel. It was the result of policy under the Bush administration. Those accused of committing acts of torture were directed to do those things so often that it became routine for these people. When the acts of torture were exposed, the Bush administration threw those people under the bus and tried to disassociate themselves with all involvement in the events that happened at Abu Ghraib. I loved when John McCain called Rumsfeld out on the Senate floor (if you're going to lie, do it with some finesse, Rummy). Props to you, McCain.

I'd like to start off by stating something I think is pretty obvious, why haven't we seen any documentaries about good things going on in Iraq?? To date, everything has been anti-American, or how we are the evil empire.This movie is no different. It sheds yet another negative light on America. If I'm not the only one, than let me be the first, Abu Ghraib was not and in no way will ever be in my mind considered torture. Let me throw this out to you reading. Watch this movie than think of what the terrorists do to our prisoners. They video tape them being beheaded with a knife in graphic detail. Now, contrast that with being stripped naked and humiliated. You tell me who the evil ones are??It was said plainly and correctly by someone in the film, that These terrorists did not sign the Geneva convention, nor do they observe it. Therefore, their treatment is not bound by that document.I wasn't appalled by the scenes in this movie, I was saddened by the fact that most of this film tried to make America and the white house look like Hitler and our troops like the SS Nazis!! I guess whether you like this movie depends on whether you hate bush and disagree with torture or whether you like Bush and agree with how we are running the war. If you are one of those Liberal Cindy Sheehan types, than this film will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, cause it will confirm all your hatred for the USA and it's troops!! Personally I thought it was tripe!!

HBO Films is currently presenting one of the nominated documentaries for a Grand Jury Prize at this years Sundance Festival: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. This is a film that needs to be seen by every American. It is a stark lesson in what happens when we are led by individuals who have no respect for law and human rights.Rory Kennedy's film is a masterpiece that demonstrated how and why America was shamed. It begins and ends with the lessons from the Milgram Experiment conducted in 1961. The actions of the guards at Abu Ghraib replicate the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971. What is crucial is the fact that, as in the experiments, it has to be assumed that the soldiers were acting under higher authority. Part of the shame of what happened is that this higher authority escaped punishment for their crimes. This is, of course, the way of the world. The peons get the shaft while the higher authorities get medals and promotions.A critical piece of evidence present might be missed: the techniques used at Abu Ghraib came from the Brazilian Military. These low-ranking soldiers would not have known of these measures. They had to be taught.Again. all Americans need to see this excellent film to see what happens when authority is abused and law is ignored.