Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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280 of 312 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A lot of good information, but..., March 14, 2004
In the beginning of this 1 hour documentary, we are very quickly introduced to the 20 or so experts who will be giving their testimony throughout the film. It's done quickly, but after the first 5 or so it becomes a sort of blur and you want to say, "Wait.. slow down..."The whole film is sort of like that. There's a LOT of good information in "Uncovered." It makes its case well, by calling upon people from within the CIA and within the government to tell their stories. It also does a very effective job of showing how the Bush administration changed its story over time, and how things that were originally said to be true were then de-emphasized and then finally denied completely. The problem I have with this documentary is that it throws so much at the viewer so quickly that it weakens the impact of each successive piece. In the interview with the director (in the Bonus Material section of the DVD) he talks about having had only a few months to put all this information together and how frantic the pace was to get it done on time. Frankly, it shows. What I would really like to see is this same information taken and put into some kind of cohesive narrative, and rather than compressing it all into one hour, give it the time that it deserves and make it a 2 hour film. Let us hear the testimonies of these people with a bit more depth, rather than throwing snippet after snippet at us. "Uncovered" is a great rough draft of a documentary, but as a finished product it's flawed. For all of that, this is still a documentary worth seeing. There's a lot of great information here; the step-by-step analysis of Powell's speech to the UN is particularly effective. This is an important film and one that needs to be seen.
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64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Oh, please," Indeed!, August 15, 2004
To the reviewer who titled his one-star review "Oh, Please," perhaps you should acquire some sense of perspective. Hussein was certainly a brutal tyrant, but he did not kill MILLIONS of his subjects. Tens of thousands, yes, perhaps even hundreds of thousands. But MILLIONS? No.
Perhaps the distinction is lost on you, and in terms of whether it makes Hussein a MORE or LESS evil brute, it is insignificant. However, it is crucial that WE make sure we are scrupulous when discussing the evil deeds of others, or, in general, when discussing anything which requires careful deliberation prior to acting. Hyperbole merely destroys the perspective which is necessary to determine just what actions ARE appropriate, and WHEN such actions must be carried out.
You say you don't care whether Hussein had WMD or whether he was linked to 9/11, both of which were falsehoods promulgated by the Bush administration. The importance of whether our President tells the truth or not, especially in such urgent matters of state as waging war, should be obvious to anyone, and that you don't see it implies you lack a capacity to appreciate the damage done by such lies.
Nontheless, I'll give it a shot: our country is based on the premise that we are self-governing; we elect persons to office to represent us and to act FOR us in passing laws and managing affairs of state for the general welfare. In order to act in our own interest, we must know who we're actually electing, and we must know what they intend to do, based on who they tell us they are. When they're in office, we must trust they're telling us the truth so we may express our educated approval or disapproval of their decisions BEFORE they're enacted. To go to war based on lies is to deny the people the right to have their will acted upon. Once a president or other public official is caught lying, we can never know when they will lie in future, or even if they'll EVER tell us the truth. How can we govern ourselves when those who represent us tell us lies and act according to reasons of their own? We can't.
Moreover, how can we engage in diplomatic relations with other nations if they cannot trust that we're acting truthfully and in good faith? Again, we can't.
As with anyone who lies, the lie poisons one's ability ever to interact with that person again, as one can never trust that one will not be fooled or taken advantage of, or know whether the other party is acting for our best interests or for his own agenda.
All that said, UNCOVERED is excellent, and reveals this administration's terrible propensity to prevaricate to suit its own purposes. They could have gone to the UN and to Congress and tried to make a humanitarian case for removing Hussein: his brutality to his own people. This being a representative Republic, we the people could have decided to support the war or not based on factual reasons for going. But the Bushies feared the people would not consider such reasons sufficient to wage war over, and they subverted democracy by lying to us in order that we would not stop their war of choice, a war they have carried out NOT because of any of the reasons they told us, but for geopolitical and ideological reasons of their own.
If this film were shown to every voter before November, we can be certain Bush would have no chance of regaining office. He may not in any case, but with the illumination provided by this film, it would be, as George Tenet said, " a SLAM DUNK!"
HIGHEST RATING!!
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58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From a 2000 Bush Voter, August 8, 2004
The video begins by listing an impressive group of military, intelligence and government officials who made contributions to the film, immediately casting aside fears that this is another work of an opinionated film-maker with an ax to grind with the Bush Administration.
The most impressive aspect of the film is how the claims used by the Bush Administration to sell the war to Congress and the American public are debunked one by one, using facts, expert testimony and news clips.
The profound conclusion is that we were sold a bogus bill of goods by the Bush Administration - this wasn't about the war on terror, weapons of mass destruction or democracy. This was about fulfilling the neo-conservative doctrine of pre-emptive war and exercising U.S. influence over the oil-rich Middle East.
Before I put much stock in the credibility of ANY piece of journalism, I make a point of seeking out published rebuttals to the work. Much to my amazement, I found only ad hominem attacks and the tired old "Liberal Propaganda" charge, but very few, if any real criticisms. Just like the critics on this board, NOBODY has given a credible defense to the accusations presented here.
I challenge the supporters of President Bush (as I once was) to view this film. If all you can say in response is along the lines of "Stupid Liberal", maybe you should be examining your own political loyalties.
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