The Fog of War
A visually inventive political documentary turns Robert McNamara’s retrospective testimony into a searching meditation on warfare, power, and responsibility.
Overview
A deep dive into the mind of a man who shaped U.S. military policy during a tumultuous era.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- grave
- reflective
- morally uneasy
- history study
- political discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Errol Morris's documentary as a piercing, visually inventive, and intellectually compelling examination of Cold War decision-making and the moral consequences of modern warfare.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Robert McNamara addresses the camera through Errol Morris's Interrotron while revisiting decisions made during the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War.
McNamara's account connects statistical analysis, military planning, and governmental decisions to civilian suffering and modern warfare.
Charts, moving titles, visual effects, archival footage, and animated explanatory material work in counterpoint to McNamara's testimony.
The documentary examines the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam policy, ideology, and the punitive judgment of history through a major Cold War architect.
Films like The Fog of War, and why
The Unknown Known
political documentary examining a powerful historical figure through testimony, archival material, and moral self-interrogation
The World According to John Coltrane
archival political documentary focused on Cold War power, state decision-making, and the consequences of military policy
Hearts and Minds
serious historical documentary using interviews and archival footage to investigate the human and political costs of modern warfare
Wormwood
reflective documentary portrait of a controversial public figure confronting political responsibility and historical judgment
Movie Details
- Director
- Errol Morris
- Release Date
- 2003-10-26
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (307)
Cast
- Robert McNamara
- Errol Morris
- Fidel Castro
- Barry Goldwater
- John F. Kennedy
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Curtis LeMay
- Richard Nixon
- Harry Reasoner
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Fog of War about?
- A visually inventive political documentary turns Robert McNamara’s retrospective testimony into a searching meditation on warfare, power, and responsibility.
- What is The Fog of War like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Fog of War as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Fog of War violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Fog of War as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Fog of War?
- Critics broadly regard Errol Morris's documentary as a piercing, visually inventive, and intellectually compelling examination of Cold War decision-making and the moral consequences of modern warfare.
- Which films are like The Fog of War?
- Films with a similar feel include The Unknown Known, The World According to John Coltrane, Hearts and Minds, and Wormwood.
- How long is The Fog of War?
- The Fog of War runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Fog of War?
- In United States, The Fog of War streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
