"Fahrenheit 9/11"

Directed by: Michael Moore

Rated: R (adult language, graphic images of corpses—including infants—and of severely injured people.)

Running time: 117 minutes

Best suited for: Left-wing radical Democrats

Least suited for: Right-wing conservative Republicans

I’ll admit to some hesitation reviewing "Fahrenheit 9/11," a concern over my own bias, considering I harbor a certain mistrust of nearly everything our government tries to sell as being "in our best interest." For instance, we are at war with Iraq. Why? George W. Bush desperately wants us to believe one reason. Director Michael Moore desperately wants us to believe another. Sadly, such finger-pointing tends to lead nowhere and leaves much of the truth buried beneath empty rhetoric.

I respect Michael Moore in the way a mongoose might respect a cobra. Already he has brilliantly established himself as a leading documentary filmmaker. But is Moore’s latest effort a documentary? Even remotely? "Fahrenheit 9/11" may be iconoclastic commentary, political satire perhaps—but strip away its shroud of self-indulgent vanity and I can find only shameless propaganda.

A true documentary is—should be—an unflinching look at the truth; certainly a filmmaker’s perception of truth, regardless of personal agenda or belief. Moore most ably accomplished these tasks in "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine." He didn’t have to point out a problem so much as merely turn a camera and note its presence—the enemy we were able to see for ourselves.

In "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore spends nearly two hours pointing at the enemy, who happens to be the president of the United States. Okay, I’ve disliked presidents before and I’m all for civil liberties, even if an opinion differs from my own. But so much vehemence makes me stop, makes me wonder. Much of the footage Moore uses in "Fahrenheit 9/11" consists of media outtakes and video discards—what I call "bathroom moments." Put an unrelenting lens on any individual and you’ll eventually capture his worst. Sooner or later, even James Bond farts. Collect enough of these bathroom moments, add cynicism and a snappy soundtrack and you’ve crafted your own illusion of truth, ready to sell to the awaiting masses.

Is it just me or are the emperor’s new clothes somewhat skimpy here?

As a film, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is skillfully rendered, well-paced and cleverly edited. It’s emotionally charged and, at times, riveting. (It’s also 20 minutes too long, in my opinion.) Moore narrates with his own laconic wit. I occasionally laughed, shook my head in wonder or dismay—yet all the while I couldn’t help but notice that Moore was cleverly sucking out my brain.

My criticism of "Fahrenheit

9/11" is that Moore has chosen to market his film as a documentary. And yet Moore doesn’t even attempt to disguise his disgust with Bush. There’s no concession that "there’s another side to this coin, but mine is more logical, more humane, more civilized." Moore ignores the other side completely. Personally, I’m more than offended by these tactics—I find them frightening.

How powerful is documentary film as social propaganda? At one time, extremely powerful—Leni Riefenstahl’s 1934 pro-Nazi film "Triumph of the Will" is largely regarded as the single most influential piece of propaganda ever made.

Believe Moore or don’t, but be forewarned: "Fahrenheit 9/11" is unabashed propaganda. During one sequence, Moore uses images of Iraqi children laughing and frolicking in that idyllic paradise we once knew as Baghdad, juxtaposed with unflinching closeups of dead babies after—supposedly—an American air strike. I mean, sorry, Michael—but dead babies to make your point?

"Fahrenheit 9/11" turns out to be a shameless political manifesto, especially with its intended availability in video/DVD weeks before the November elections. Moore is using "Fahrenheit 9/11" as a powerful tool to manipulate votes and is charging us 10 bucks apiece to do so.

In a nutshell: "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a poignant and emotionally charged film—but it’s not a documentary. It’s one man’s subjective and incendiary attempt to infiltrate your mind. Truth has balance, after all, and there’s no such balance to be found here—only outtakes and accusations and snippets of images that, skillfully manipulated, form a shocking distortion of what I suspect the truth to be.