"Why We Fight": A Movie Review

This past weekend, I rented the DVD, "Why We Fight," a documentary by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki that examines the military-industrial complex and why as a nation, the United States has become dependent on maintaining a steady diet of war.  Interestingly enough, the film begins with the farewell speech of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five star general and Republican who warned of the danger of the military-industrial complex to the liberty of the people of the United States. (An interesting side note is that the "military-industrial complex" was to have been "military-industrial-congressional complex" but Eisenhower removed the congressional reference at the last minute.)

The film goes on to examine the rise of this war machine through the stories of several individuals: a New York city cop who lost a son on 9/11, a former military public relations officer who worked in the Pentagon at the opening of the Iraq War, and two fighter pilots who conducted the first "targeted" bombing of Baghdad that began the Iraq War. These stories are supplemented by numerous "insider voices" from Washington, including those of Gore Vidal, Richard Perle, Chalmers Johnson, John McCain, Ken Adelman, Bill Kristol, and many others. Also included are a few interviews with ordinary Iraqi citizens, such as the head of the Iraqi morgue. Perhaps most telling are the interviews of average Americans who are simply posed the question, "Why do we fight?" something that's not always easy to answer.

There are many things in this film that you already know, a few you don't (I leaned a lot about Eisenhower, for example), but the best thing I can say about it is that there is plenty of food for thought here. It reminded me a great deal of the documentary "Super Size Me," it's not that the information is so shocking, it's the way it's put together that creates the impact. The story of the B1  bomber here is like the story of Ronald McDonald in "Super Size Me." It's all about marketing and the rise of capitalism.

This is a very compelling film and not by any stretch of the imagination boring. In fact, if you're like me, you'll find yourself going to the Internet to learn more. Just to save you a trip, the URL for the movie is here:

http://sonyclassics.com/whywefight