Whether you saw this film 20 years ago or are just catching it for the first time, Why We Fight is an infuriating experience, no matter what side of the argument you’re on. It’s a far cry from the similarly-titled rah-rah films by Frank Capra.
The film is a documentary about the Military Industrial Complex, as coined by president Dwight D. Eisenhower during his farewell address in 1961. He ominously warned of the U.S. military (and its government) gaining unchecked global power by essentially turning armed conflict into something that not-only feeds the political machine, it mostly benefits the major corporations and manufacturers that build the weapons. And that’s exactly what happened.
Featuring interviews with analysts, politicians, authors, technicians, military personnel and everyday folks personally affected by global events, Why We Fight wastes no time asserting that every U.S. military engagement since 1960 has been driven by profit, power, and most significantly, public relations that paint America as liberators. We’re also presented with plenty of damning historical evidence, from Vietnam to Iraq. Being that my current trust in our government hovers just below zero, what I mostly felt while watching the film was rage…but not surprise. One only has to take a look at our current administration to know that absolutely nothing has changed (though the powers-that-be are unquestionably dumber).
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| This guy fights because Firefly was canceled. |
But wherever you plant your flag (hopefully it’s not in the bed of a pick-up), at least Why We Fight isn’t boring…the worst sin a documentary (or any movie, really) can commit. I’d rather walk away feeling enraged than nothing at all.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTES - The Characters; Audience Q&A.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - by writer-director Eugene Jarecki & Col Lawrence Wilkerson.
DELETED SCENES
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