wdelp Reviews

An Unreasonable Man (2006)

brilliant, in-depth examination of Nader and his societal interactions

[10/10 · 9 January 2007]

Henriette Mantel and Steve Skrovan's An Unreasonable Man insightfully and objectively chronicles the life of Ralph Nader and his interactions with society. It is filled with fascinating, carefully chosen, artfully constructed sequences which replay beautiful and dark moments of the past 60 plus years and puts them into context. Many of Nader's most ardent critics and supporters are interviewed in this balanced and educational documentary which focuses on facts and mixes them with speculation and opinion. I was riveted to the preview screening I saw on a large TV. Its so fast-paced, information packed, emotional, exciting, engaging, enRaging, and occasionally hilarious that when seeing it in a movie theater you should buckle your seatbelts! Keep your cell phones turned off and your mind open when watching this critically important film. It reminds me of 2 of my favorite Akira Kurosawa films, High and Low and Ikiru in the ways it makes me think about the pursuit of justice, equality, hard work, investigation, society, corporate ruthlessness, governmental bureaucracy, and the power of an individual to make a difference (for good or ill). An Unreasonable Man also reminds me of these 2 Kurosawa masterpieces because of its attention to detail, mastery of the subject, and mastery of the documentary format. It gives you powerfully organized information in chronological order and copious amounts of vintage footage which has been fascinatingly and cleverly edited and lets you make up your mind about this powerful, fascinating, multi-faceted, and controversial subject, Ralph Nader.