Movie Critique of "The Fog of War"

The documentary takes us through the life of a man who was the former Secretary of Defense of the United States and his decisions that impacted everyone in the U.S. as well as the international community. It is interesting to see what kind of transformation he made in power as well as his influence and the decisions he came to make. This documentary is not too long and not very hard to understand but there were points in time where it was really difficult to follow along really only due to the fact that there was long sequences of McNamara just talking and there were limited visual aids. The visual aids presented during the documentary were artistically appealing to the eye and effective in understanding the situation.

I really like this documentary really because it was interesting to see what he really had learned from all of his decisions and what advice he can offer future generations.Overall, this documentary was very fascinating to see the life of a man who held so much power in decisions and had to make so many important decisions. It was interesting to see that there were parts that showed that he actually regretted decisions that he had made regarding important topics, in example, WWII and the destruction in Japan and what he has learned from the decisions he’s made in the past. I thought this documentary was well laid out especially when discussing the 11 lessons of war (listed below).

1. Empathize with your enemy
2. Rationality will not save us
3. There's something beyond one's self
4. Maximize efficiency
5. Proportionality should be a guideline in war
6. Get the data
7. Belief and seeing are often both wrong
8. Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning
9. In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil
10. Never say never
11. You can't change human nature

The message was actually very thought out and precise in understanding that making a decision can affect millions of people. It also was a message about the destructive effects of war and how human rights seem to be ignored during these times. The leaders of the nations put their own interests and their people first and foremost during times of crisis and of war which is challenging to understand that it’s hard to see what is just when the security of the nation is at risk.

In the bigger picture, the messages sent in this film are very important for everyone, especially people in the U.S. to watch. In relation to human rights, we see firsthand what thought process and what decisions are made in which a person has to decide for the safety of their own country. We can see the balancing of what we deem as necessary to defend human rights but also what the issue is when it comes to national crises. The influence that McNamara had on the country and on issues was astounding. Decisions he made were difficult in knowing that balancing what is right for human rights and what is right and safe for the nation. Human rights were definitely violated during the McNamara’s position as U.S. Secretary of Defense and he acknowledges the fact that there were many mistakes in the decisions he made against other countries. The largest events that stuck out to me during this documentary were the discussions and photographs of the firebombing in Japan and the continuation of the war in Vietnam, both in which led to a devastating number in deaths for both the United States as well as the other nations. This issue with these events is the question “Were the methods used to gain the upper hand or to win the war right?” The phrase “All’s fair in love and war” comes to mind but truly these methods to win the war were not exactly humanitarian. The usage of nuclear bombs in Japan show how much it was truly wrong to do it after the fatality numbers, the defects of surviving persons and the long term aftermath and consequence are devastating and disastrous. Innocent people died because of the choices made by the McNamara. We know that one of the thoughts in war which is totally correct is that civilians, innocent people and towns should not be targeted.