I'm a big fan of Errol Morris, but I don't think this is one of his top efforts. While this film is full of interesting and thought provoking material, cinematically the film drags at points. Morris's artier interludes, with the use of simultaneous fast-motion and slow-motion photography and the jets of statistics edited together, fail to add anything to the movie, either in terms of content or style.
Obviously, the access to McNamara and the archived tape recordings of conversations between the subject and Kennedy and Johnson are the bulk of the movie. However, despite the attempt to organize the movie via the 11 'lessons', the movie lacks a certain structure. I suppose it could be argued that this lack of clarity is equivalent to the lack of clarity that those in power had when dealing with Vietnam. But I expect Morris to clarify and remove the fog, so to speak.
If anything, this movie felt like it was part of something that should have been much more comprehensive. Nevertheless, it is still a valuable look from the perspective of a major architect. Perhaps he is self-serving (or rather, it is highly likely that he is), but that is also illuminating.
Obviously, the access to McNamara and the archived tape recordings of conversations between the subject and Kennedy and Johnson are the bulk of the movie. However, despite the attempt to organize the movie via the 11 'lessons', the movie lacks a certain structure. I suppose it could be argued that this lack of clarity is equivalent to the lack of clarity that those in power had when dealing with Vietnam. But I expect Morris to clarify and remove the fog, so to speak.
If anything, this movie felt like it was part of something that should have been much more comprehensive. Nevertheless, it is still a valuable look from the perspective of a major architect. Perhaps he is self-serving (or rather, it is highly likely that he is), but that is also illuminating.