NO END IN SIGHT (Charles Ferguson). 102 minutes. Screens as part of Doc Soup at the Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor West), Wednesday (October 3). Opens in theatres October 5. Rating: NNNN
Winner of the special documentary jury prize at Sundance this year, No End In Sight says nothing that people who’ve been paying attention to the Iraq debacle don’t already know. But I’ve yet to see anything anywhere in the media that covers this much ground, from this many sources, all in one place.
Director Charles Ferguson has put together a devastating indictment of the idiocy that has racked up $2 trillion in costs, killed more than 3,000 American soldiers and caused the deaths of untold thousands of Iraqis. Narrated by Campbell Scott , the film points out huge errors made by the U. S. in Iraq, such as the deployment of insufficient troop levels, the de-Baathification of public institutions and the demobilization of the Iraqi military, which created thousands of unemployed, angry armed men.
Like any documentary about current events, No End In Sight is already somewhat dated. Little is said about the much-ballyhooed “surge,” and nothing, naturally, about Blackwater’s current troubles or about how the next president might handle the mess George W. Bush will leave behind in January 2009.
But if you want the 21st century’s first major military catastrophe outlined in all its glory, check out this film. Until the war is over, you may not see a better one.
