W.

I went out on impulse to see W. tonight. Fascinating film. Not quite as far out as some of the other Oliver Stone movies, and a surprisingly sympathetic picture of the forces that molded George W. Bush and the advisors that manipulated and enabled him into war with Iraq. 

It's not as funny as you might think from the previews. As is sometimes done, the previews had all the funny lines, so when you watch the movie, you see them coming from a mile away. But the remainder of the movie is pretty serious. 

The story includes a lot of things that influenced him, like his relationship with his father, his frat-boy drinking, and so forth. But I think what Stone intended to be the key thing was Bush's "born again" religious conversion. It had the effect of helping him give up drinking and get his act somewhat together, but it also gave him a dangerous certainty and lack of self doubt that may have been the foundation for his most reckless acts. 

If you stay to watch the end of the credits, you get a couple of hints that religion was Stone's main theme. First the credits roll with Bob Dylan singing "With God on Our Side" (a song about how we have always justified our wars in the name of God). And then at the very end, a cross appears and then morphs into the letter W. A white cross on a black field with a bright red period like a drop of blood.

I have to say a word about the cast. They do a fantastic job of getting the feel of each of the characters surrounding Bush. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Tenet, Wolfowitz, and the creepy little Rove... they're all perfectly drawn. You feel like you're seeing the actual guys. Josh Brolin is fantastic as Bush. 

This movie almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost. Until I recollected the cost we've all paid. 

Comments

[Laurie Mann]

I can never feel sorry for W; he's still a stupid rich boy.

I saw W yesterday and liked parts of it. I agree Josh Brolin was particularly good.