4. The Fog Of War
The film which finally landed director Errol Morris an Academy Award, The Fog of War (subtitled: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara) sees its subject, former US Secretary of Defence, Robert McNamara, talk about his work and what he has learned from a life lived in the midst of war. From Korea, to Vietnam, to the current War on Terror, McNamara, supported by Morris' unrivalled craftsmanship and collation of material, illuminates the documentary with melancholy truths about his own failings, specifically in relation to America's involvement in Vietnam (McNamara is often cited as the architect of the war there). A dense examination of one of the most controversial periods in American history, The Fog of War bursts free from its talking-head setting to become a rich and human characterisation of one of America's most divisive war-time figures. Meticulous and masterful, this documentary proved that Errol still had his inimitable finger on the pulse of America's bleeding heart.