Uncovered: The War on Iraq

Wardrobe malfunction: While persuasive, Uncovered could use some dressing up

By Mike Prevatt

Give director Robert Greenwald credit--he's released two political documentaries in as many weeks in Las Vegas multiplexes. But in a way, it's no big feat. This has been the summer of political cinema, and following Michael Moore's hugely successful Fahrenheit 9/11, collaborative effort The Hunting of the President and his own Outfoxed means Greenwald now has to contend with saturation, something that was never an issue for documentaries in the past.

It also suggests that for attentive moviegoers, Uncovered has to offer something different from or better than Fahrenheit to make any sort of impact. Greenwald fumbles the challenge. This informative, 83-minute gabfest--extended from the original 56-minute version previously available on DVD--may have a natural credibility given how the director lets news clips and commentators speak for themselves. But this is still a movie, and the best ones take aesthetic presentation into account as much as they do content. Greenwald strips his production down, from the rote titles to the stock soundtrack, and as a result his film isn't as compelling as it could be.

That leaves us with nearly 30 former international relations officials, intelligence analysts and weapons inspectors who recount and opine amid footage of Bush and his administration. They are the guts of this feature, distinct in their individual participation and united in the idea that our leaders played fast and loose with the facts in order to justify a preemptive attack on Iraq.

Greenwald doesn't take the same kind of liberties here, so there can be few accusations of informational manipulation. But this doesn't mean the tone has to be so rigidly straightforward. Sure, the wit of someone like former CIA analyst Ray McGovern makes the film's persuasive arguments more captivating. But amid the glut of big-screen politicking, Uncovered could have been a little more dressed up.--Mike Prevatt