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Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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Solid pseudo-documentary, but falls prey to Moore's typical indulgences, 27 June 2004
Author: evilwillhunting from Indianapolis, IN

Michael Moore does not make documentaries, he has admitted this several times. He creates "pseudo-documentaries."

I have never been a big fan of Moore, since he is pretty dishonest with his "pseudo-documentaries." He never uses logic, he spoon-feeds you half-truths and works your emotions. Here's his usual formula:

1.) Present a rumor as fact, with absolutely no hard evidence to back up his claim. 2.) Drive it home with hyperbole (aka the Moore Sledgehammer), often with a nice witty angle. (Music, film clip, joke, etc) 3.) Totally omit facts that call his conclusions into question. 4.) Presents himself as the champion of the underdog, working class guy, so we'll root for him and swallow all of this tripe without thinking about it.

These movies make me angry over Moore's pure arrogance. He reminds me of the kind of orator who does a masterful speech, because he's good at propaganda and manipulation, but he cannot debate, because he is unable to deal with challenges to the concepts he is driving home with a sledgehammer.

Now make no mistake. I am not going to say Moore is wrong here. In fact, I think he's pretty on target with some of his claims. Keeping people in fear because they are easy to control... a message in "Bowling for Columbine" that was about as subtle as a fire axe in the chest... I think it's entirely plausible. The whole Iraq War as an excuse, that was already planned and 9/11 was a convenient excuse... yep, I think that's pretty obvious to everyone. The Saudi connection to the Bushes.... yes, I've long seen that as an ulterior motive. The poor of this country paying in blood for the policies of the rich... DUH, Mikey.... hasn't it ALWAYS been that way, since the wars Dark Ages?

And of course, the view that Bush is the source of all our problems. I personally do not like Bush, I think he's dumb and probably the worst president since Harding. But Michael Moore has publicly shown his intense personal hatred for Bush. I'd like to remind you all of that before you watch this movie. Again, he offers little proof, and a lot of spectacle, and a lot of people come away thinking he can't be wrong...

...and before you take Michael Moore's word as gospel, as so many people seem anxious to do, let me remind you that Bowling for Columbine was filled with all kinds of outright false claims, misleading dubbing and spliced speech footage. Simply because someone makes a powerful case (through an eloquent argument or a good movie, which 9/11 actually is) does not make him automatically correct. As always, you should research the evidence before buying into propaganda or opinions in general.

I saw a message on this board saying Michael Moore should be shot for this film. Moore has a right to his opinion. He has a right to communicate his opinion to as many people as he can, and that's a right that does not exist in many countries. Censorship of opinions of the government is one right the government has not taken away from us, as evidenced by this film's release. And that's the best kind of free speech. Yet you can disagree with him and refuse to see his movies.

As usual, I'll do the former and not the latter. Because it was a good film, and it is the duty of us as Americans to keep an eye on shady dealings of our government. I just don't buy in all of Moore's words, which he has proven before to be less than truthful and mere interpretations presented as absolute truth. And this movie smacks of a lot of that.

7/10.

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