Matthew Kresal Few figures of recent American history will be as controversial as Robert McNamara. Secretary Of Defense under both President Kennedy and President Johnson from 1961-1968, he played key roles both during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and in the lead up to and conduct of the Vietnam War during that period. McNamara, who died in 2009, was the subject of Errol Morris' 2003 documentary The Fog Of War which itself recently had its own tenth anniversary.Partly that's because of its subject matter. Largely because of the controversy around him and his long silence about his role in the Vietnam War, McNamara himself is a fascinating figure. Outside of his 1995 book In Retrospect, this may very well be the most candid McNamara ever was about his life and in particular about his time as Secretary Of Defense. Thanks to Morris' interrotron technique, McNamara often seems to be looking right into the eyes of the viewer and the vice versa is true as well. The result is that this portrait of him is given even more power, especially when he talks about helping pick out the site where JFK is buried where you can see his eyes watering or his eyes light up in the rare moments of humor. McNamara also proves he can own up (as it were) to some of the more questionable events he took part in and even downright mistakes such as the firebombing of Japanese cities in World War II and the fundamental misunderstandings that led to increasing involvement in Vietnam. Yet, for every moment like that though, there are moments where one can't quite read him, especially when he becomes increasingly guarded about Vietnam and why he didn't speak out more against it after he left government. The results are often just as haunting as they are fascinating.McNamara himself though is just part of the documentary. Morris makes extensive use of archival material with some of the most outstanding being rarely heard recording of meetings and phone calls involving McNamara and the two President's he served under, especially in comparing the conflicting attitudes to the war in Vietnam expressed first by Kennedy in late 1963 and then Johnson just months after Kennedy's assassination. There is also a wealth of rarely seen documents as well, especially from McNamara's statistical work during World War II that leads to a haunting piece of animation of his handwritten numbers becoming the bombs dropped on Japanese cities. There is also a limited amount of reenactments as well, especially to illustrate the surreal but true way that skulls were dropped down a Cornell University stairwell in tests that led Ford to install seat-belts in their vehicles. Then there's the score of Phillip Glass which gives the entire proceeding a most haunting quality it might not have had otherwise. As a result, the more artistic elements of the documentary compliment the portrait of McNamara rather nicely.The heart of the film though is in its narrative structure, which is centered around eleven lessons Morris draws from McNamara's life. It is these lessons that make the film as timely as ever in a world that continues to be in a state of continuous conflict. McNamara's life and the events he relates are merely examples from how the Cuban Missile Crisis shows us that rationale people can be lead to the edge of irrational decisions (starting a nuclear war) to how the Gulf Of Tonkin incident is a prime example of how seemingly incontrovertible evidence can be wrong and lead to unimagined consequences. While these examples might be taken from decades and crisis' of the past, are every bit as applicable today as they were both in McNamara's time and when this was first released a decade ago.Despite being about events a half century or so ago, and being a decade ago itself, it remains a film as relevant today as it ever has been. On one hand, it presents a compelling portrait of McNamara and his role in some of the most important and controversial events of the last fifty years. On the other, it blends that portrait skillfully with artistic elements that make the lessons taken from that portrait all the more compelling. The results are haunting, fascinating and well worth viewing.

SnoopyStyle This is an Errol Morris documentary where he interviews former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. This is part lesson, part history, but mostly a confessional. It has stock photos and archival footage to lay out the history. It has the compelling original score by Philip Glass.What makes this compelling is the ultimate insider who is making a confessional of his life's lessons. Errol Morris takes this gem and polish it up with his editing, his ethereal questioning, and Philip Glass' music. It is a haunting portrait of somebody who is now gone. This basically serves as his last testimony.

Michael_Elliott The Fog of War (2003)*** 1/2 (out of 4)Oscar-winning documentary from Errol Morris takes a look at the career of Robert McNamara, which went from WWII to Ford to John F. Kennedy and up to Vietnam. Through an interview with McNamara and countless bits of audio and archival video footage, we go through nearly sixty-years worth of material as McNamara explains the reasonings behind various events. THE FOG OF WAR is an extremely well-made documentary and a lot of credit has to go to Morris for the way he structured the film. The mixture of the interview footage with the archival footage was perfectly done and I think both suit the other extremely well and help make this film so memorable. Just take a look at the emotional scene where McNamara talks about the Kenneddy assassination and how he helped find the plot for him to be buried. Just look at the way we see McNamara's emotion face and words and then how Morris puts a picture up of Kennedy. A very simple move but an emotional one that really works. McNamara was 85-years-old when the interview took place but you certainly wouldn't know it because it looks great and his mind is obviously still sharp and he talks a mile a minute and is so captivating with each and every word. Even if you hate McNamara and everything he stands for you really can't help but be drawn into him and it's easy to see why he could control so much. The way he speaks, the power in his voice, the way his messages are delivered are just so right on the mark that you can't help but take notice of everything he's saying. THE FOG OF WAR is certainly one of the most interesting documentaries out there and it's really an important piece of history especially considering how much McNamara was involved in.

Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman) I saw this first in the theatres and meant to review it at the time but never did. I got another chance to see it the other night and was blown away again by the approach the film-maker, Errol Morris, takes in the making of this.They say that a life unexamined is not worth living and the subject of this documentary, Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense under Kennedy and Johnson, examines his life and his decisions under the unrelenting eye of the camera and admits to failures and misinterpreted intelligence and tells us what he could have done better and what we all should do when confronted with similar scenarios in the light of the history of both the Second World War and Vietnam.I had never known the extent of the firebombing of all the wooden cities of Japan - and this was before the nuclear devastation that was to befall them. Horrific. Innocent civilians, uncountable children, swept away in fear and pain.I had also never known how the perception of Vietnam by the U.S. was so very, very wrong. The motivations projected onto Vietnam by the U.S. were completely incorrect.Robert McNamara shines a new light on all of this with the benefit of hindsight and new intelligence and weeps with the rest of us. I could not help thinking of how one could live with the blood of so, so many on one's hands. How does one achieve peace?The eleven lessons, though trite at times, have never been brought to bear on the current conflict. But should be.9 out of 10. It should be shown in every school in the world.