Movie Review - The Fog of War

The fog of war is a documentary narrated entirley by former U.S secretary of defense Robert McNamara. McNamara held the post of Secretary of Defense for 7 years under John. F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961 - 1968. McNamara gives his version of some of the most important events of the 20th century, his own involvement and the other major players. The film is interspersed with White House recordings of private conversations between McNamara and Presidents Johnson and Kennedy, images from the Second World War, Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Producer Erol Morris also fires the occasional question at McNamara in an interrogation style interview.

Even at 85 years of age McNamara is articulate and sharp. At times he is candid but at others he is evasive and non-committal. He admits to making mistakes but avoids taking responsibility for possibly the biggest U.S blunder of the twentieth century -the Vietnam War, of which he was a major architect. He has, like most skilled masters of rhetoric, the almost undetectable ability to shift blame from himself to others. However for those with a good grasp of the historical events of McNamaras era his explanations ring hollow on a number of occasions. In the words of the Canadian Philosopher John Raulston Saul - 'history is the enemy for people like McNamara ...... his actions are eloquent proof that what he says isn't true'

Personally I think the film spends a little too much time on McNamaras background and not enough on penetrating the most probing questions of his career but that is also a result of McNamara's refusal to answer such questions. If you are well acquainted with the events and issues of the film you'll find nothing new. What you will see, if you look closely enough, is a tortured soul, shifting constantly between an honest portrayal of historical events and desperate attempts to exonerate himself of his actions.

What is also not covered by the film is McNamara's role in kicking off the Nuclear Arms race and his tenure as head of the World Bank where for 13 years he wreaked havoc on Third World economies around the globe. For further information on these aspects of McNamaras life see these excellent references. For those with little knowledge of the subject matter the film is an eye-opener and an excellent jumping-off point for further research into some of the most fascinating times of the 20th century.