Screen Scene: "Why We Fight"

“Why We Fight” Directed by Eugene Jarecki Sony
Pictures Classics

Criticism of U.S. foreign policy, especially regarding the war
in Iraq, is nothing new. A filmmaker who makes it the impetus
behind a documentary film ““ especially one released almost
three years since the war’s inception, and without much in
the way of new facts ““ runs the risk of creating a completely
superfluous work. With “Why We Fight,” however, Eugene
Jarecki manages, for the most part, to avoid this problem.
Jarecki’s tasteful lack of Michael Moore theatrics and his
use of sources from a broad spectrum of backgrounds gives the film
a journalistic tone better suited for such a topic. This approach
separates “Why We Fight” from other recent political
documentaries, which have strayed toward propaganda. There is no
doubt that Jarecki holds strong views about this topic, but his
relatively level head makes any conclusions he may draw more
convincing. The film is at its strongest and most thought provoking
when Jarecki focuses on his main argument that U.S. foreign policy
““ specifically the tendency toward military conflict ““
is shaped to a frightening degree by the government’s
relationship with defense contractors and think tanks. The film
explores the evolution of this military-industrial complex through
the last half century, supplementing analysis with striking footage
of Vietnam and former President Eisenhower. The film is spottier
when Jarecki attempts to put a human face on the question inherent
in the film’s title. The screen time given to average
citizens answering why the U.S. is at war illustrates the
disconnect of the average citizen with the decisions of its
government, but it doesn’t say anything that isn’t
already obvious. An interview with the fighter pilots who dropped
the first bombs of the second Gulf War illuminates the fact that
soldiers fight because they’re told to ““ but then, the
film returns to them several times without saying anything
interesting. More compelling are the testimonies of the Iraqis
themselves and the story of Wilton Sekzer, a Vietnam veteran and
former New York City police officer who lost his son in the Sept.
11 attacks. The film is strengthened by Jarecki’s
journalistic approach, but he makes the mistake of not digging deep
enough. By the end, he relies too heavily on a handful of critics
of the Bush administration, allowing them to dominate the film
instead of presenting new information. Still, “Why We
Fight” is a valuable documentary because of its mature and
largely gimmick-free examination of the motivations behind U.S.
foreign policy.

““ Alfred Lee