EXECUTIVE BRIEFCASE – Fahrenheit 9/11
“Fahrenheit 9/11,” directed by Michael Moore. Rated “R” for some violent and disturbing images, and for language. 122 minutes.
Michael Moore’s op-ed film “Fahrenheit 9/11” is many things: powerful and entertaining, disappointing and misleading. At times, it’s an insightful look at why many in the country are disillusioned with President Bush’s foreign and domestic policies. At others, it’s clear that Moore manipulates the evidence to back up his reasoning. Moore, for example, tries to link the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to Unocal’s bid to build a natural gas pipeline across the country. The problem: Unocal gave up those pipeline plans in 1998. In another instance, Moore shows shiny, happy Iraqis under Saddam Hussein’s rule in what amounts to a one-sided reassessment of the former dictator’s rule. What “Fahrenheit 9/11” has going for it is the big picture. Moore is bang-on with some of the large themes he develops. The Iraq war diverted public attention after the 2001 terrorist attacks and has been ineffective in reducing global terrorism. The country’s color-coded terror alert system fosters fear among Americans and, consequently, support for the far-reaching Patriot Act. And, powerfully, that it’s largely poor Americans who fight the country’s wars,legitimate or otherwise. “Fahrenheit 9/11” is plain hilarious thanks to Moore’s deft comedic touch. There’s a cut of Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz soaking his hair with his own spit as he readies for an on-air interview. There are bold, funny stunts of the type Moore used in “Roger and Me” and “Bowling for Columbine.” Moore rents an ice cream truck to read the Patriot Act in front of the Capitol building. Congressmen are shocked when Moore asks them to sign up their own kids for military duty. Military recruiters are followed as they target a shopping mall popular with the poor. Moore is the first to admit that he doesn’t create balanced work. That’s OK, if the facts back it up. They don’t always in “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which is worth seeing for entertainment value.
,Mike Mason
