Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Fahrenheit 9/11 is an unflinching enquiry that focuses on the administration of George W. Bush and his handling of the War on Terror. The film takes the audience through the government’s handling of the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, explores the dubious relationship between both Bush administrations and the Bin Laden family, questions the possible role of Saudi Arabian complicity in the attacks and looks at the damaging fallout of the tragedy from a personal angle.

Overall Review Score

6.5 out of 10

Review

What do you get when you combine a controversial election with a supposedly unpopular President and the mere suggestion of impropriety? No, not the Lewinsky scandal. You get the best selling document of all time, Fahrenheit 9/11. Michael Moore, director and narrator, uses Fahrenheit 9/11 to take the audience through darkest hour(s) in America’s history from highly controversial US Presidential election of 2000 to the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While critically evaluating President George W. Bush’s relationship with seemingly unsavory individuals and his motives for acting in certain ways. Throughout the 122-minute documentary, Michael Moore balances a carefully chosen sound-track with carefully choreographed emotional or comedic interviews, narrative commentary and news snippets to keep the audience engaged and wondering ‘controversy…what controversy?’. Overall, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a skillfully made documentary that is not easily forgotten. It will divide opinion and leave the audience with many questions and discussing its merits long after the credits have rolled.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 6 out of 10

Comments:

After watching Fahrenheit 9/11, it is quite plain to see the Director Michael Moore has turned a skeptical lens onto the Bush administration. Moore argues that the Bush administration irrefutably ignored the Saudi Arabian connection to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and instead used the abhorrent atrocity of the attacks to garner public support towards the commencement of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. As such, the documentary comes across as a blatant critique of President Bush that does not allow audiences to make up their own minds about the United States policies following 9/11, and the rationale for going to war.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 7 out of 10

Comments:

Ignoring whether the Saudis were involved in 9/11 or President Bush’s suggested relationship with the Bin Laden family, Fahrenheit 9/11 combines hard hitting storytelling with a comedic overture to make the audience think. It is a documentary that could have so easily been seen as a blanket criticism of war or of governmental failures but instead it comes across in a ‘what if’ narrative. It forces the audience to ask: assuming the 2000 election went differently would Iraq and Afghanistan have happened? Would the Patriot Act pass through Congress? And how would Al Gore respond in Americas darkest hour? Overall, Michael Moore narrates a spine-tingling documentary designed to get a reaction from the audience, it is certainly not a film for Bush fans or proponents of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

#documentary