Dirty Wars

The war on terror transformed into a self-fulfilling prophecy. You certainly had a teacher who could put a whole class to sleep with his monotonous delivery however interesting the topic was. Jeremy Scahill is just that sort of teacher. And it’s a fundamental drawback, because it is evident that he is an extraordinarily talented investigative journalist who isn’t afraid of delving into unpopular topics and asking the western world unpleasant but burning questions. You can just feel how he is disgusted with the current situation, how he would like to shake up the status quo of “things we don’t talk about". At the same time it is clear that he isn’t interested in shoveling controversial manure onto a family tomb, but that he’s trying to change something by uncovering faults. He has a talent for finding the right stories and evidence, which sometimes isn’t absolutely conclusive or without question marks about their credibility, but he doesn’t claim anything about them, he just believes that these facts should be known and everybody can make up their own mind. And it’s not so much about big conspiracies (even though everything about JSOC is crying out for attention) and more about personal fates. He lacks one thing; judgment. He should have let somebody else do this presentation, someone who could sell it well and who wouldn’t talk so much, and not to be so literal where it isn’t fitting. This really does seem like ninety-minutes of report reading in front of a committee than anything else. This also applies to the form which isn’t ideal and tries to hide the lack of relevant footage by filming Scahill walking though towns, riding on a train etc. So, it’s highly interesting and edifying, but due to the form and his unfortunate delivery, it’s rather boring. (29/01/2014)

I don't know if these documents that they are trying to show us how right and honorable the war against terrorism is, can prove anything, but let them film, let them film as much as possible. The documentary reveals facts that you would never put into context, facts that should never be known. I'm quite surprised that journalist Jeremy Scahill is still alive. Are you alright? Someone has to dig in this filth and show us how it actually works. Sure, the film could be better, but its testimonial capability is still immeasurable. (09/12/2013)