The Fog of War is one of Errol Morriss better films, but I found it frustrating because it sends out reminders of his masterpiece, The Thin Blue Line. This movie could have been so much better if Morris had just restrained itself at times.
The documentary is a study of Robert McNamara, the controversial Secretary of Defense for all of Kennedys and most of Johnsons term. McNarma is and was a controversial figure- some (such as Oliver Stone) consider him to be evil, imperialist and borderline fascist, others, a sympathetic guy who had some major successes and major errors. Tellingly, when asked by Morris, McNamara denies responsibility for most of his policies, saying that he was just executing what the Presidents he worked for wanted.
Where the film is really compelling is when McNarmara honestly (or seemingly honestly) recounts the tough reality of war. Everyone makes mistakes, he says, and there is no military commander who has not made a mistake, and often those mistakes cost lives. He is upfront when he states that he and the Johnson administration completely misread the Vietnamese leadership, believing that the Soviets or Chinese were involved when there was no such involvement. In other words, the domino theory was wrong. Its impossible to know what, if anything, the secretary is lying about, but he seems honest.
Where the film goes wrong is when Morris tries to make the film a psychological profile of McNamara with overly simplistic cinematic devices (he makes the same error in Mr. Death). For example, Morris makes a big deal out of the fact that McNamaras middle name is Strange- so, in a really obvious metaphor, McNamara is strange. Lame. Also, there is a of pointless information about the mans childhood and personal life that seem to be overly selective. The epilogue, in which the director exploits his subjects old age to make him look weak and lonely, comes off as overly manipulative.
The Thin Blue Line did not have a single unnecessary scene or shot. It was about a man who was wrongfully committed of murder and sentenced to death, but Morris knew the right device- he simply told the tale, with all of its legal and philosophical implication, and showing us the odd dichotomy of the innocent man, who is not very sociable, and the real killer, who is so disturbingly likable and friendly. He didnt need stupid metaphors or waste time with endless stock footage. With about twenty minuets taken out of it, The Fog of War could have been a masterpiece, and considering the importance of its subject, really should have been.
The Fog of War (2003)