Fahrenheit 9/11 (18) Review

Overall Rating

Gripping narrative of events from the 2000 US election through 11th September to the Iraq invasion. Brilliant cinema. Very funny in parts. Very thought-provoking.

Not many - there was one clip of an Iraqi woman wailing which lost its impact by going on about 15 seconds too long. A pinch of salt is required in taking on board the points of this film - but it is an excellent contribution to the debate.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (18) - I expected to be alone in the cinema with a handful of anoraks at one of the first screenings in the UK of this film. In fact, there was a queue to get in and the theatre was full, with lots of 18-30 year olds who sat in wrapt silence throughout.

This film is one of the first plausible, if questionable, explanations, of the Bush election and presidency that I have seen. It was brilliantly put together and had some very funny parts. I particularly liked the old style Moore skits - hiring an ice cream van to read the Patriot Act through its loud hailers while going round and round a roundabout outside Congress in Washington; asking Congressmen outside Congress if they would sign up their children to fight in Iraq ("No"). And there were some very funny clips presented without commentary - Bush asking all nations to help the war against terrorism before resuming his golf; an advert for a strong room which allows you to be protected from terrorist attack while "drinking fine bordeaux" in the claustrophobic comfort of a glorified lavatory, for example. There was a very funny skit on the opening of "Bonanza". And I enjoyed clips of Bush saying about Bin Laden that he would "smoke him out" juxtaposed against a black and white 1950s cowboy film with a cowboy standing outside a locked barn saying he would "smoke him out".

A "must see".