Review of Standard Operating Procedure (2013) by Stuart P — 01 Feb 2009

An excellent examination and indictment of what went by the wayside during the Abu Ghraib prison photo scandal, in which a handful of low ranked soldiers seemingly took the fall for following the orders of higher-ups who went unscathed.

It's also an interesting expose of the nature of photographs in general, when what is just outside of the frame is often more of interest. But Errol Morris' style which he first introduced over a decade ago, with its subject-to-camera interviews, flashy graphics, and beautifully designed re-enactments (a now much-copied format), doesn't seem to fit the material at hand.

For me, this film needed a device that wasn't pretty to tell the real, horribly immoral tale. Instead, Morris has become too Michael Moore for my likes -- someone who tackles very worthy subjects, but can't get out of the way to let the story do the talking.