War Made Easy
June 2008 Reviewed by: Marc Mickelson Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

War is so complex it's beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all of the variables.
-- Robert McNamara

The Fog of War, the Academy Award-winning documentary from 2003, revealed what happens in the inner circles of government when war is planned and carried out. War Made Easy is more explanation of the same, but this time, instead of former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, our guide is Norman Soloman, a syndicated columnist and the executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His 2005 book, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, provides the film’s framework. Soloman reveals a simple truth: The case for war is often made through deception, either in the form of outright lies from politicians or, more often, through propaganda that fans various flames and causes we the people to believe what our leaders want us to believe. The Iraq War has made this plain, but there are instances from Vietnam, Korea and World War II that illustrate how effective propaganda, and the feelings of patriotism it produces, can be in mobilizing a country to war.

McNamara speaks from firsthand experience, but Solomon relies on his knowledge of history to help make his points. The filmmakers embellish this with TV and news footage, and Sean Penn's deadpan narration. Soloman discusses how war has become something like sports -- analyzed and commented on incessantly. He also examines how embedded journalists unwittingly trade access to troops for objectivity and help the military sell the war to the people. In regard to the advanced weapons the US now touts, Soloman reveals a disturbing trend: Civilian deaths have risen as warfare has become more technological, exactly the opposite of the Pentagon's reasoning for spending such incredible sums of money on "smart" weapons.

The video image and sound on this DVD are good enough for the purposes of the movie; neither will cause you to use this film as demonstration material. Unfortunately, there are no extras related to the film on the DVD, though there is a preview for Hijacking Catastrophe, an upcoming Disinformation Company release that looks to be a good follow-up to War Made Easy.

Body of War, a film co-directed and co-produced by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, is the latest in this line of documentaries, and because of the upcoming presidential election, it may be the one to exert true influence. It's in theaters now. After you see it and The Fog of War, rent War Made Easy. It will connect a few stray dots.

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