Directed by: Eugene Jarecki
Premise: A documentary film about the development
what President Eisenhower referred to as “the military industrial complex”
and how the creation of a huge standing military and the business infrastructure
to sustain it has manipulated American foreign policy.
What Works: This is smart documentary that scores
points with an approach that balances ethos, pathos, and logos appeals. Where
many of these kinds of films go awry by applying too much of any one of these
rhetorical appeals, Why We Fight uses different storylines for a
crossover effect that makes the final product bigger than the sum of the parts.
The film charts the course of the military industrial complex from the end of
World War II through the present Iraq War and the filmmakers have some opinions
about these conflicts. This is a documentary with a political point of view, but
it adequately supports that point of view and challenges it by including voices
on the other side of the debate. Why We Fight also delivers as a piece of
entertainment, using smart editing techniques, creating engaging narratives, and
using unusual music choices that elevate the film above many other
documentaries.
What Doesn’t: The film does run a little long in
places, mostly in scenes dwelling on the Iraq conflict.
DVD extras: Commentary track, extra scenes,
character featurettes, Q&A with the filmmaker, Daily Show and Charlie Rose
TV appearances, trailers.
Bottom Line: Why We Fight is an important documentary and one that is very entertaining. The film’s arguments are solid and urgent, and the picture is able to make them in very engaging ways.