Why We Fight (2005)

Why We Fight is a documentary film which premiered in 2005. The topic is the war in Iraq and the US military-industrial complex. Here is some basic information about this film:

** Writer and director: Eugene Jarecki

** Available via Amazon Prime Video

** Released on DVD in 2006

** Run time: 98 minutes

The title Why We Fight is borrowed from a series of propaganda films that were made during World War Two. The series was directed by the famous director Frank Capra (1897-1991).

The US military-industrial complex is a phrase that was used by President Eisenhower in his farewell address to the American people in January 1961. Eisenhower used this occasion to issue a warning: if we allow this complex to become too powerful, it will damage and threaten our freedom and our civil liberties. The film begins with a clip from Eisenhower’s farewell address.

Several persons are interviewed in the film. The choice of participants is interesting, because they seem to represent a wide spectrum of American politics:

** Two descendants of President Eisenhower: John S. D. Eisenhower (a son of the president) and Susan Eisenhower (a granddaughter of the president)

** Two conservatives: Richard Perle (born 1941) and John McCain (1936-2018)

** A disillusioned expert from the Pentagon: Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski

** An American dissident: Gore Vidal (1925-2012)

** Two political experts: Gwynne Dyer (born 1943) and Chalmers Johnson (1931-2010)

** Wilton Sekzer, a retired New York police officer whose son was killed when the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11

Archive footage is used between the talking heads. Archive footage is used to illustrate historical events and to show us old clips and old interviews with public figures.

What do reviewers say about this film? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

68 per cent = Meta

81 per cent = IMDb

79 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

87 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

The famous movie critic Roger Ebert (1942-2013) was not impressed by this film. He believes it will only be seen by people who already agree with the general message of the film and claims there is nothing new in the film. He offers two of four stars, i.e. a rating of only 50 per cent.

I often agree with Roger Ebert, who was a wise man, but in this case I have to disagree.

In my opinion, this film is an important document about an important topic. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

PS # 1. Eugene Jarecki is the director of several documentary films and the author of the following book: The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men, and a Republic in Peril (2008).

PS # 2. For more information, see the following items:

** Control Room (2004)

** The Ground Truth (2006)

** Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006)

** No End in Sight (2007)

** We Are Many (2014)

** Imminent Threat (2015)

** Official Secrets (2019)

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