Review
Fahrenheit 9/11
- Director
- Michael Moore
- Year
- 2004
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Monday, July 26, 2004
Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 is one piece of effective propaganda. It is disguised as a documentary for sure, but it just had to have a format, didn’t it? That said, your liking of his work will much likely depend on your political views. And yes, I do think it does have the power to change people’s minds and influence voters. Moore has the talent, initiative and charisma to turn his point of view into something entertaining, disturbing and provocative. His movie is extremely one-sided, but whatever your way of thinking is, you’re in for a treat. And it’s a funny one as well.
The main character is President George W. Bush. I swear Moore is one funny guy on his own, but the funniest character in the movie is definitely Bush. The things he says sometimes are so hypocrite, ridiculous or just plain stupid as to induce unstoppable laughter. And that’s not a good thing. At least for him.
As opposed to Moore’s earlier work, here he barely appears (when he does it’s quite compelling material), but his presence and voice are felt throughout the entire thing. That’s a good approach, because for the first time he does not take first chair and lets his material speak for itself. Sure, he does explain things in his very own personal way, but after all he is presenting facts, and the things he says are mostly a reflection of what you’ll be thinking while watching this or that sequence. To be completely fair, Moore only shows one side of things. It’d be interesting to hear about the other side. But the evidence is so mandatory and obvious that I feel, deep inside, there would be no point.
The attacks are mostly about Bush not being a competent President. Moore accuses him of having ties with the Saudis, something that influenced his decisions before and after the September 11 attacks. Moore also accuses him of being a lazy man, dedicating way too much time to vacationing instead of paying attention to what really matters to the nation. He also accuses him of being a hypocrite and ridicules him by showing a frustrating tape that has the President being told about the second plane hitting the World Trade Center and spending 7 minutes wondering what to do. Of course, I wouldn’t have wanted to be in his place and I wonder how I would’ve reacted, but it is condemning evidence all the same.
There are times during the movie when Moore focuses more on senators, laws and war itself, releasing bombs here and there to make different points. The approach is not entirely successful, but it does the job. His particular views of war are exceedingly disturbing and true to the bone.
Overall, it is an important movie, and one that should be seen. And I wish there were more people with Moore’s balls out there.
“I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now, watch this drive.”
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Review
Fahrenheit 9/11
- Director
- Michael Moore
- Year
- 2004
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Thursday, September 16, 2004
Two years after that highly successful film, Moore has released another one, more on the propaganda side than the documentary side, and with one sole purpose: to expose George W. Bush as an illegitimate president, an irresponsible and incompetent leader, and a liar. It ranges from the less than honest presidential election of the year 2000, to the terrorist attacks on September 11, to the war on Iraq.
The difference between Fahrenheit 9/11 and Moore’s previous works is that here he relies strongly on footage, and very little in his persona. We see little of Moore, though his narration gives us his point of view of things all the time. Since he’s been blasted more often than not for fabricating footage for his films, presenting undeniable evidence is a very good choice. His trademark humor is not absent, either. He begins with a very humorous look at the 2000 election, wondering if Al Gore’s Florida victory was a dream, or it really happened; he goes from there to how things were manipulated until finally Bush was elected president by the U.S. Congress. As it often happens with Moore’s work, it goes from funny to compelling, and the introduction to his film is a very good example of that.
The rest of it tirelessly shows that Bush is incompetent. Most of it is no surprise to anyone at least a bit interested in politics (as a David Letterman fan, I had little doubt myself), but Moore uses new footage to shatter viewers: Bush’s reaction to the second airplane crash on the World Trade Center, while in a Florida elementary school classroom. No advisor was there to tell him what to do, so he stayed put for 7 more minutes, listening to the children read “My Pet Goat”, while he wondered what to do next. The expression on his face is absolutely priceless.
From there, Moore moves on to explore the relationship between the Bush and Bin Laden families. He presents things in a way that it becomes obvious that George W. has managed things in respect to the 9/11 attacks to protect his interests with the Saudis. It’s a dishonest move and Moore just doesn’t get tired of reminding us of it. In the end, Bush and every close member of his staff is shown as a villain, and that really works.
The only footage that might be questionable in Fahrenheit 9/11 is that of a Flint, Michigan mother, first proud to have encouraged her children’s enlistment, later shattered by her son’s death in Iraq. A reading of his final letter shows his unhappiness and disagreement with the war, which of course changes his mother’s heart concerning Bush and the way the country is going. Despite doubts of the footage’s authenticity, the result resonates and definitely rings true. Through this and some interviews to veteran soldiers, as well as footage of obscene behavior of American soldiers in Iraq, Fahrenheit 9/11 becomes an anti-war piece as well, especially when the war in question is unjustified.
I find it noble of Moore and everyone involved to hurry and get this film ready before the next election happens. Nevertheless, I happen to believe that such rush shows in the final product and mars it a bit. It’s a priceless piece in compiling so much footage and information, but it’s poor in giving most of us any sort of news. The film went on to win the Palm D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but its strength doesn’t really lie on its quality, but in its power to spread the information and hopefully change some voters’ minds. As a film, however, it could be better.
Nevertheless, it’s a must-see film, and one funny and compelling piece of propaganda. Kudos to Michael Moore for having what it takes to give it to the world!
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