Tangled Magazine

No End in Sight
A film review by Laura Hartley

5.0 OUT OF 5.0 STARS

Produced   : Charles Ferguson & Alex Gibney (plus more)
Directed    : Charles Ferguson
Runing Time : 102 minutes
Language  : English

No End in Sight is director Charles Ferguson’s first film, an unbiased documentary which chronicles the American invasion of Iraq, and what the country is really like now.

This jaw dropping new film tells us that (at the time of its making) 10-15 bombs per day go off in Baghdad, an 8pm curfew has been in place since 2006 and over three million Iraqi’s have fled to another country.  The narrator, Campbell Scott, tells us a story of recklessness, stupidity and arrogance as we see interviews with General Jay Garner (Administrator of the short lived ORHA program), Richard Armitage (ex deputy Secretary of State), Marc Garlasco (Senior Iraq Analyst), Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (ex Chief of Staff for Colin Powell) and many more senior advisers, journalists and United Nations ambassadors. 

While this film tries to remain unbiased its hard not to view it as ‘anti-war’ as it lists mistake after mistake made by the US government.  As one interviewee says, America spent two years planning before invading Germany in World War II, and only 60 days before invading Iraq.  What is different about this film is that it offers interviews with credible people, people that have worked in The White House or have lived in Iraq throughout the conflict. 

Even a supporter of the war will find it hard to argue with the facts presented in this film, and it leaves you heartbroken for the residents of a country so torn.  This documentary is important for everyone to see – whether a supporter of the war or against.  Interestingly, this film was produced by the director of the Academy Award Winning Taxi to the Dark Side, Alex Gibney (another must see film). 

Charles Ferguson did ask Donald Rumsfield, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheny and L. Paul Bremer III to appear in the film, but not surprisingly, they declined.

The Sydney Film Festival is showing from June 4 – June 22, 2008.