IslamOnline: Film Review: Fahrenheit 9/11 Goes for the Jugular

IslamOnline: "You can disdain its politics. You can pick apart the facts (and opinions) and argue what the real truth is. You can be furious at the over-the-top anti-Bush sentiment. You can label it as another one of Michael Moore's typical self-promoting pompous films. You could say all that and more.
But you can't ignore it. It's too eviscerating and fascinating to be swept under the table.
Of course I'm talking about Moore's new film, Fahrenheit 9/11, which swept into US theaters on Friday June 25, 2004 and has been selling out shows night (and day) after night. The film is a sprawling comic and searing look at President George "Dubya" Bush's inept (according to Moore) pre and post-9/11 presidency. It tackles the ties between the Bush and Bin Laden families, the false, bumbling war on Iraq (instead of going full throttle after the real target, Al-Qaeda) and the spin-war played on a duped American public by fanning the fears of terror attacks.

Of course the war in Iraq gets the full Moore treatment. From the way new soldiers are recruited, to the mentality of those already serving in Iraq, to the anger of Iraqis themselves, to how one mother of a dead soldier went from being patriotic to being disgusted with the consequences of the war—it’s all there.

And so what can be learned from this humongous mess that is the Bush presidency, Moore asks? His answers are overtly obvious. And anyone who sees this film (and you really should see it) will definitely get one side of the story. It is one side—not the whole story. But oh, what a fascinating side that story is!"


By Dilshad D. Ali
Islam-Online Correspondent