The greatest movie ever made..!

Really Surprised!

Absolutely Fantastic

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Many on this site call this movie propaganda...obviously that is correct, but to be fair ever single book or movie or media in general is propaganda. We all have agendas and (hopefully researched) opinions for every single action of our lives. This movie is human nature and so clearly propaganda.The problem I have is that this movie pretends that imperialism & money only became connected with war since WWII. Lets not be naive...every single war in the history of the world has been motivated by power and money. From ancient Greece to the crusades to our current wars. EVERY SINGLE WAR EVER IS ABOUT $$$$$$$$$$$$$!

Maybe Why We Fight isn't entirely successful, as it sets out to cover about sixty years of American history (albeit mostly in the past several years with Iraq, which of course then stretches back into the 80s), and once in a while looses its footing in cramming so much into 99 minutes. Why We Fight has the potential for one of those immaculately conceived documentary mini-series on PBS (Ken Burns's The War doesn't count), but as a film it thankfully suffices just enough. The only other drawback is if you're already very well-informed about all of the horrors and nightmares that the Bush administration has brought on with its war policy- which also stretches out to its corporate allies like KBR and Halliburton- there's only little tidbits of possibly 'new' information, particularly if it's on DVD in 2008 vs seeing it in the theater in 2006.But aside from these liabilities, Why We Fight is a look at the mentality and history and fulfillment of the quasi-prophecy by then exiting president Eisenhower on the military industrial complex. The director, Eugene Jarecki, chooses his targets wisely and with a well-rounded focus. He features interviews with the likes of John McCain, Gore Vidal, Richard Pearle, former members of the military (two of whom say combat the first day of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 03), and also with just a kid setting off to join the army and a saddened father of a 9/11 casualty who despite being a veteran of Vietnam supported Bush for Iraq all the way... until he realized he lied, of course. While it is more than probable that Jarecki is out to make a criticism on the Bush administration, it doesn't really stop just there. Indeed, Bush and Rumsfeld, according to Why We Fight, are the logical (though utterly maddening) conclusion of Eisenhower's words of caution to look out against the US war machine growing too far beyond control.But Jarecki doesn't forget that Bush is just one component, however huge, in the cog of war that has been rolling along as part of the US being the dominating world power. When we don't like what a country is doing, we go in and 'help' overthrow the government and install someone else who may or may not (usually may) screw things up as a dictatorship in the country. That's one part of it. Another huge part is the Cold war and nuclear proliferation. And, finally, though not least of which, the rise of the corporations that do more (and get paid more) than the US military officers in Iraq. These and more pieces, not least of which an indictment of parts of government and think tanks and the Pentagon, are part of the answer to the "Why" question in Jarecki's film, and for the most part it's all compulsively watchable. It might be a little over-packed into such a relatively short time allowance, but there are moments of inspiration (what comes closest to a 'Michael Moore' moment, if there could be one, is Jarecki including a bit at the end of a McCain statement about Halliburton being dangerous, and then getting a call right after from Cheney cutting off the interview), and some great little clips from Frank Capra's original Why We Fight short films.

just when i was trying to conveniently block out the intense shame i have felt towards the American gov't since 9/11 for the sake of my own precarious mental health, i caught this film on HBO. Obviously it has a bias, that bias being a leftist or liberal if you like political bent, however more than liberal or conservative the film seemed biased in that it postulated the inherent value of human life and the message of peace which is at this point anachronistic almost to the point of naiveté. The left and pro-war point of view was represented as well, my personal favorite was the retired NYPD Sargent who tragically lost his son in the heinous catastrophe that helped spark this governments descent into its present state of callous barbarism and blatant disregard for human life both American and foreign. He seemed to me a social conservative, a proud veteran, he himself admitted he was from the "old school" that in his mind the president of the united states should be able to "walk on water" in essence that he had an abiding faith in his government. While i'm sure he and i would have myriad differences politically, socially, and culturally being from very different generations and mindsets, we could agree upon the basic recognition of what is justified and what is not. He started of pro-war for the same reason that many Americans did initially, to get even for 9/11, for simple age-old instinctual revenge for the lost of his beloved son. In the end he has to confront the fact that the president outright lied to him about the justification for this stupid and heinous war. That to me was the true measure of the film's objectivity, not pure objectivity as that is a goal nigh unto unachievable, but a perspective based on the recognition of basic principles common to all mankind like fairness, truthfulness, and the basic value of human life. (though his and many American's main justification, revenge we know can only lead to a vicious cycle of hatred and death, who can say among us that they've never felt the very basic human urge for vengeance for some offense or another) To wrap up this rather lengthy and i must say cathartic comment id also like to address some other previous comments on these boards about pres. Eisenhower's speech being taken out of context. This i find laughable as the complete contents of the speech are laid bare for everyone to hear. The raw data this film presented from iraq itself was what truly stirred my conscience to its present admittedly verbose (perhaps too verbose for this forum) state. The morgue in iraq's record book laid bare, 90% of the initial casualties were civilians, the iraqi hospital docs revelation that almost no soldiers were brought into his ER during the outset of the fighting. "we will prevail" the president guarantees us in his speech coupled with the military expert letting us know that we are in process of setting up 14 permanent bases in iraq nearly made me jump out of my seat, surely the defense contractors and the vice president and former secretary of defense realize the best news for business since WWII, the same realization that they spend billions trying to keep from the American public this is not a war in the sense that it can be won or lost, there can be no real victory for the US when it wages this type of war on a people, every insurgent we kill merely turns more against us. We are not waging a war any longer, we are maintaining a bloody and unjust military occupation of a foreign nation whose internal sectarian hatred we managed to unleashed by ousting the brutal strongman dictator we installed there decades ago to keep it under wraps. Ill wrap this up now is I've made my points and i long ago devolved into a polemic rather a commentary on this film. What is bush's answer for us the constituency of this nation "for too long we have done what feels good....let's roll" can anyone tell me please what brainless monkey behind a typewriter came up with this poorly conceived maxim and what exactly is it supposed to mean for the men and women who are dying for nothing but the profit of unethical, unaccountable corporations men and women American, iraqi, and let's not forget the under equipped foreign national defense contractors who are dying to help our gov't pad out the casualty numbers to try to minimize the number of American deaths.

i watched this superlative documentary months ago and am surprised i didn't write a review, which is more like a letter of gratitude. There are no spoilers here. just accolades from a grateful viewer. this montage of famed politicians, historians, people of courage and amazing intelligence is enough to recommend this documentary, if only to see a piece of history put together in such brilliant fashion, and with such a clear, unabridged message. There isn't any preaching, finger wagging, lecturing...none of that. Only pure, clear-minded analysis on an aspect of human nature which we need to expose, and understand. Hind sight is easy. Seeing the future path becoming wider is a different matter. humanity needs more films like this one. It has a way of exonerating our blackest characteristics, not by making excuses, but by making it clear that the Why of fighting is understood. If we can disseminate, expose, and understand, we can stop. kudos to Eugene Jarecki.