Customer Reviews
Upsetting reality 
2008-05-30
Upsetting viewing, actually took me intervals to watch this as it's extremely depressing. I can't watch it again and will be passing it on to a friend. Not to say it's terrible, it's just hard to stomach the reality of it at times.
An important film 2008-05-27
No End in Sight is a most important film that should be seen by all Americans. It provides deep insight into our current situation in the world and exposes those who are responsible for it.
Shocking mismanagement 2008-05-14
With the five year anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" having just past on May 1st and the looming presidential election, the Iraq war has been a hot topic of debate. No End in Sight chronicles the Iraq war and the policies created by top administrators concerning the war. Charles Ferguson gives an insiders view of the policies and directions taken by the Bush administration after May 1st 2003 or when major combat operations ended.
Ferguson interviews mostly middle management officials within the bush administration who have direct knowledge of the Iraq war and were involved in the policy decisions made. He splits these interviews with archival footage of high ranking officials such as Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Paul Bremer and Paul Wolfowitz. The contrasts of the interviews with the footage create a compelling documentary. In addition Ferguson also shows some footage of the war itself and the chaos that has ensued in the country.
No End in Sight mainly focuses on the history of the war and the administrative dealings that lead to the policies that were enacted. He is able to show how many of the White House officials disregarded or did not seek the opinions of those on the ground. The generals, Iraq politicians and White House officials stationed in Iraq were not taken seriously within the Bush administration. The planning and organizational structures created to rebuild Iraq are also focused on in this documentary. Ferguson shows how there was not much planning for the occupation of Iraq and the subsequent rebuilding phase during occupation. The huge mistakes and bureaucratic political issues that surrounded the planning are shown in a context that would be easy for anyone to understand. Ferguson shows that many of the policies were enacted by people who were far away from the situation and did not realize the ramifications of their decisions. The documentary creates the historical context of the main decision makers on Iraq and their involvement in the first Iraq War (Gulf War).
So where does Bush fit into this movie? President Bush is represented as a bystander to the war. Ferguson shows that Bush was not really as involved in the war as he should have been and was mostly just subject to what Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney informed him about the war. It is rather discouraging to learn that the President of the United States was not making many decisions or even reading opinions on the subject by respected officials. The President for the most part gave Rumsfeld and Cheney the authority to make any decision they felt were necessary.
The images of this documentary are the most compelling part. Ferguson is able to show what is actually happening on the streets of Baghdad. The meshing of the interviews on policy and the footage in Iraq creates a compelling story. The chaos and destruction that is seen based on the policies of a few men shows the magnitude of power that these men have. There have not been many images coming back from the war and this movie creates a vivid image of the destruction and mass chaos that still exists in Iraq. Ferguson creates a very simplistic view of the events leading to the Iraq war we have today and opens our eyes to the dealings within our own government.
This movie was one of my favorite documentaries that I have seen this year. It made me sit down and think about what kind of deals our government is making. The direction and organization of the film made it easy to follow even if you know very little about the war. Ferguson is able to show the common person why we are involved in Iraq. It makes your hair stand up at the end. The accounts by the middle management and their experiences are able to effectively tell the story themselves. There is not much narration as you learn the story how it should be told: from first hand accounts. This is a great movie that I would recommend to everyone I know.
A good summary of the mishandling of the occupation of Iraq 2008-05-11
Another demonstration of the self-fulfilling prophecy of gov't incompetence by the Bush Administration.
On the other hand, this documentary gives the impression that the war would have been more successful if carried out by more competent people. Perhaps if you are stupid enough to get into this mess, we should assume you cannot manage the more difficult task of occupying and rebuilding.
The documentary mentions the cost of the war to the US in dollars and lives, but does not touch on the more complex and troubling cost in Iraqi lives.
At Last, At Last!!! 2008-05-09
Finally a work of journalism is produced that takes a clear, logical approach to the aftermath of the biggest military blunder in the past 100 years. I only wish this documentary was made BEFORE the war. We needed this form of detailed analysis in our debate to invade IRAQ which was never done. I loved the documentary so much from Netflix I bought it AND its companion book. Highly recommend.
"I don't know" is not good enough. 
2008-07-08
You cannot lavish this much skill on a project and settle for "I don't know" from the principles as the answer to all the blood and treasure. You are either lying or stupid. Three people, all with long ties to Israeli Intelligence, made all these decisions that destroyed a civilization, an empire, and the common cultural heritage of the human race, with no consulting of knowledgeable people in Iraq and you don't tell us why in your movie? It was all for nothing if the real culprits and their motivation remain anonymous. How they must laugh at our ignorance!
Excellent (& Depressing) film 2008-07-02
The film is clear and informative. And it is depressing seeing how one of the greatest foreign policy debacles in the history of this country unfolded before our deceived eyes.
Are the Bush camp really just 'incompetent' . What about 'criminal' and 'vicious' 
2008-06-24
This film, although kind of worth seeing for its depiction of the mess that is post invasion Iraq, puts a lot of emphasis on the 'incompetence' of the Bush camp, and all of their 'mistakes' in post invasion Iraq. It doesn't call into question the crime of going to war in the first place but seems to in some way excuse this by ignoring it and pursuing a 'What went wrong' line in analysing the post invasion. This film talks a lot of the lack of military experience of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush et al. The idea that many have that America would be there for the long run as long as the outcome is American domination of the oil in Iraq seems to me to be missing in this film and is crucial to any analysis of invasion and post invasion plans. (and I don't think that any quick outcome from expert military tactics but which resulted in a peaceful government which was in charge of their own oil without American domination is their objective).
Leaving unquestioned the motivations of the invasion (many would argue oil and big business, and which are of course necessary to investigate in an analysis of post invasion strategy) means that the casual uninformed American and western observer fed on westerm media would think that the supposed aims of 'freedom' and 'democracy for Iraq' have been destroyed or set back by 'incompetence'. This seems like a very small bitter pill for the administration to swallow as so many are against the war, and I'm sure they would rather be seen as 'incompetent' rather than criminal.
Excellent basic information. 2008-06-15
I agree with many of the prior reviews, especially the one that said most of the information was available to anyone reading the New York Times but that it was presented in an artful and damming fashion. I used it after the AP exam in a US Government and Politics class and the kids were astounded. Perhaps even more astounded when I showed them the review saying it was all "old news."
This gripping documentary will make your blood run cold. 2008-06-09
If arrogance, ignorance and belligerence make you angry, be prepared to get really mad. I was so floored by this brilliant documentary, I had to watch it again the next day just to make sure I hadn't had a nightmare.
Focusing on the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq after the war in 2003, my jaw dropped ever lower as I listened to the catalogue of errors made by a select group of politicians and advisors at the Pentagon, headed up by Donald Rumsfeld. Their flippant attitude toward a terrorised and conquered nation laid low by sanctions is utterly sickening, their lack of preparation and naivety defies belief.
But it is the total disregard for all the best advice provided by their people on the ground that is the most shocking element of this story and nothing short of criminal.
This documentary is not liberal Bush-whacking or anti-war polemic (as some claim). It features interviews with US service men, diplomats, academics, US and Iraqi journalists, top members of the intelligence community and many other Washington insiders who were tasked with jobs in Iraq, and who went there full of vigour and hope. Their sadness, frustration and disbelief about the increasing chaos in the weeks and months after the war is painfully tangible throughout the film; despite their best efforts, they were rendered impotent by the total lack of structure, and by the blustering, bulldozing, ignorant decisions made by people who either stayed cosseted in Washington or in Baghdad's walled Green Zone.
Some reviewers here are criticising this film for not dealing with the 'reasons' (or lies) that took America into the war or for not looking at the progress being made now. This documentary is not about that.
It's about how things could have been different. It's about how the insurgency and orgy of violence now occurring might have been nipped in the bud. It's about how the efforts and sacrifices of those tasked with 'saving' and rebuilding Iraq didn't have to be worthless. It's about how Iraq's heritage - its museums, archives and libraries - could and should have been protected, not just the oil ministry (SCANDALOUS). It's about the expensive consequences of not listening to advice. It's about how the financial and human cost for America, Iraq and maybe the world could have been spared.
This film also provides a tough wake-up call on why the checks and balances of democracy must be preserved and protected to guard against abuses of power, and why it's vital that politics is transparent.
No End In Sight should be mandatory viewing in schools, not least for a lesson in how not to be a chest-beating gorilla like George W Bush (I apologise for the insult to gorillas) or a tag-along-Tina like Condoleezza Rice (it's baffling that she didn't know better). The true monsters in this tale though are Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and Paul Bremer who have a nation's blood on their hands, and should have a culture's destruction on their conscience.
It should also be pointed out that in laying Iraq so low, the Bush administration has by default made its nemesis Iran more powerful. Nice one guys.
Buy this sobering film, watch it and then tell everyone you know about it.
