Errol Morris, a diligent documentary filmmaker, has made films such as Thin Blue Line (1988), Cheap, Fast, and Out of Control (1997), and Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999).  These films depict stories regarding death row inmates, corrupt systems, eccentric characters, and the electric chair designer.  Robert S. McNamara, on the other hand, is known as the former General Manager for the Ford Motor Company, the Vietnam War architect, and the World Bank president. McNamara, well educated and intellectually gifted, approached all the jobs given to him with a strong methodological approach, which he supported from lessons he had learned previously in life.  Thus, Morris who often portrayed people’s lives becomes a perfect match for McNamara who appears to want to share his lessons with the world in order to create an ever-growing source of enlightenment without causing further tribulations.

The documentary is organized in such manner that the objective of the lesson is evident, which is an essential tool for all teachers.  All lessons begin with a black screen with white text that states the lesson, for example, “No. 1 Empathize with your enemy”, “No. 5 Proportionality should be a guideline of war”, and “No. 10 Never say never”.  From the objective screen, the film transitions to McNamara who begins to narrate directly to the audience about what he wants to have said, as he teaches the viewers from his mistakes.  Through the eyes of McNamara, the audience gets to see how he reacts as he discloses choices he's made in his past and how he remembered people.  This becomes very poignant as McNamara tells his story, especially when his eyes turn full of tears. Morris capture this moment through Interrotron, which is technology that captures the moment in first person.

The lessons shared dive into the history of World War II and the bombing of Japan, which was a result of research made by McNamara and others.  The many bombs dropped on Japanese soil led to the death of several hundred thousand people along with fire and atomic bombs.  McNamara also shares his lessons learned while advancing within the hierarchy of the Ford Motor Company.  McNamara’s time at the Ford Motor Company led him into getting the job as United States Secretary of Defense, which forced him to face the Cuban missile crisis.  He then reflects on how near the United States and the world was to a nuclear war.  The simple deduction by McNamara was that they avoided a nuclear conflict by the chance of luck. In the back of McNamara’s head were the results of World War II and the Cuban Crisis, as he had to deal with the looming Vietnam conflict.  The Kennedy assassination might have changed the course of the Vietnam conflict as McNamara recalls, as his eyes slowly fill with tears.

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara offers a truly spectacular cinematic experience as it becomes a personal experience through the camera work of the film.  McNamara’s past, right or wrong, offers many important lessons, which the audience should ponder, as there is a real nuclear threat in the world.  In conclusion, McNamara tries his personal best to make the world a better place, as he observes it with his own life long experiences.

DIRECTED BY

Errol Morris

COUNTRY

USA

Filmography links and data courtesy of