Review of The Fog of War (2003) by Jonathan D — 27 Jul 2013
This is basically an extended interview with Robert McNamara, who was defense secretary under Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis, and under Johnson for the escalation of the Vietnam war. It's not just a talking head - Errol Morris intercuts footage of McNamara speaking with sundry images from the period, along with WWII, when McNamara was involved in air raid planning - notably along with Curtis LeMay, who directed the firebombing of Japanese cities.
If these historical events interest you in the least bit, you will want to see this movie.
McNamara seems to be pretty honest, and so you get an uncanny insider's view of three of America's most defining international involvements of the late 20th Century. A memorable moment is when McNamara tells of speaking with Castro, years after the Cuban missile crisis: "if you'd actually had nukes (our assumption was that they had missiles but not warheads) would you have asked Khruschev to use them against the U.S.?" Castro responds that they DID have nukes and that he DID ask Khruschev to use them... "But then you know, we'd have totally annihilated Cuba?".
"Yes.".
This review of The Fog of War (2003) was written by Jonathan D on 27 Jul 2013.
The Fog of War has generally received very positive reviews.
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