McG's Fahrenheit 9/11 review

I finally got to see Fahrenheit 9/11 last night.

I thought the film was thought-provoking, entertaining and informative. The editing and inclusion of old TV shows interspersed between scenes reminded me a lot of Michael Moore's own TV show, TV Nation.

As for the content, the film shows some 9/11 footage I hadn't previously seen along with some behind-the-scenes action of troops in Iraq that gives you a real bird's eye view of what it's like to be in combat.

I found the movie to be highly funny at times. One of my favorite moments is when Moore shows a duo of Marines trying to recruit an African-American who aspires to be a musician. The Marines tell the kid that joining the service will help advance his musical career and bring his aspirations to life. They even use Shaggy as an example of how a Marine can go on to have a music career.

Another amusing moment is when Moore tries to get Congressmen and Senators to sign their kids up to go to war in Iraq. The bewildered look of one politician in response to Moore's recruiting effort is priceless.

As I was coming home from the movie, I saw my neighbor and we briefly talked about the film and he said, "I heard that's a democratic movie." I think the impression many people have about this film is that it's for democrats, liberals or leftists only. This is a film for humans, regardless of political affiliation.

While the first half of the film outlines many of Bush's responses to the 9/11 attack, its the second half of this movie that drives home the message of how the war in Iraq has destroyed so many lives. Moore interviews many soldiers who have witnessed the daily combat first hand including troops in Iraq as well as veterans who have returned home and are undergoing rehabilitation after losing limbs while serving. Moore also follows a mother who has a soldier serving in Iraq.

If anything, Moore's film allows viewers to see some of the human faces and hear some of the tragic and terrible stories of the many victims of the war.

And when you get down to the nitty-gritty of war (i.e., death and destruction), all politics seem to fall by the wayside, and all that is left is an insane and seemingly inexplicable war on Iraq.