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I saw "The Report"
5 years ago
General
In eternity, where there is no time, nothing can grow. Nothing can become. Nothing changes. So death created time to grow the things that it would kill and you are reborn but into the same life that you've always been born into.
This movie came out last year and it stars Adam Driver and a number of other A-list actors. It's about the report that was done on the CIA's use of torture/"Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" on detainees during the War on Terror. So I'm going to get this out of the way, as the movie was opening and the names of studios and such were coming up, among them was "VICE studios" and my immediate thought was "Oh boy...". I like movies like this, for the most part. But "Spotlight" this movie is not.
Okay the first big issue I have with this movie is...it's going to sound like I'm being dismissive, I'm really not. I think the fact that this report was written and released was good, we need to know how torture was implemented, what harm it did, why it did harm (not referring to the detainees/terrorists, the harm there is obvious), and why the CIA saw fit to lie to multiple heads of state about its use. Anyways, the first issue I have is that the movie speculates that the CIA felt responsible for not stopping 9/11, so they started using torture to get information to stop further attacks. The movie approaches the subject like it has never been done by the US/CIA before. The Phoenix Program and MK Ultra come to mind immediately. Anyone who is shocked that the CIA would do something like that despite having a history of it should not be in office. That is not meant to be dismissive of the findings of the report, but it's like saying "Trump says weird shit on Twitter." No fucking shit, dude!
The second big issue I have with this is it reeks of bias. Even "13 Hours" managed to stay more apolitical than this movie did. The subject of one Edward Snowden is brought up. As such, the movie REALLY hammers the message that Snowden is a traitor for exposing the information that was being collected by the NSA, instead of running it through proper channels and trusting the government to deal with it. There are a couple of times when the protagonist (I don't know if the RL person ever considered doing this) is tempted to leak the report to other groups like the New York Times because the report's release keeps getting stone walled. He ultimately decides to let it continue through proper channels and his faith is rewarded, pushing the message that if your government is doing something shitty and you have inside information that looks like it will never see the light of day, have faith that the government will publicly acknowledge the most embarrassing screw-ups and the worst betrayals of its people willingly.
So the TL; DR message of this movie is: A bunch of film makers and politicians in their comfy little bubbles are shocked that the CIA, an agency with quite a history of batshit projects (kind of literally) and torture, used torture to get information from terrorists, and that you can trust the Democrats and John McCain to speak out against wrongs committed by your government, no matter what. So don't turn traitor and leak information on how the government actively violates your civil rights.
Okay the first big issue I have with this movie is...it's going to sound like I'm being dismissive, I'm really not. I think the fact that this report was written and released was good, we need to know how torture was implemented, what harm it did, why it did harm (not referring to the detainees/terrorists, the harm there is obvious), and why the CIA saw fit to lie to multiple heads of state about its use. Anyways, the first issue I have is that the movie speculates that the CIA felt responsible for not stopping 9/11, so they started using torture to get information to stop further attacks. The movie approaches the subject like it has never been done by the US/CIA before. The Phoenix Program and MK Ultra come to mind immediately. Anyone who is shocked that the CIA would do something like that despite having a history of it should not be in office. That is not meant to be dismissive of the findings of the report, but it's like saying "Trump says weird shit on Twitter." No fucking shit, dude!
The second big issue I have with this is it reeks of bias. Even "13 Hours" managed to stay more apolitical than this movie did. The subject of one Edward Snowden is brought up. As such, the movie REALLY hammers the message that Snowden is a traitor for exposing the information that was being collected by the NSA, instead of running it through proper channels and trusting the government to deal with it. There are a couple of times when the protagonist (I don't know if the RL person ever considered doing this) is tempted to leak the report to other groups like the New York Times because the report's release keeps getting stone walled. He ultimately decides to let it continue through proper channels and his faith is rewarded, pushing the message that if your government is doing something shitty and you have inside information that looks like it will never see the light of day, have faith that the government will publicly acknowledge the most embarrassing screw-ups and the worst betrayals of its people willingly.
So the TL; DR message of this movie is: A bunch of film makers and politicians in their comfy little bubbles are shocked that the CIA, an agency with quite a history of batshit projects (kind of literally) and torture, used torture to get information from terrorists, and that you can trust the Democrats and John McCain to speak out against wrongs committed by your government, no matter what. So don't turn traitor and leak information on how the government actively violates your civil rights.
DireWolf505
~direwolf505
Wow. Yeah, I'll pass.
ConnorCat
~connorcat
OP
Yeah. It just occurred to me that "naive" is a good description. And reading some of the things the producers are quoted as saying is also revealing, one of them being shocked that "they (CIA) weaponized psychology, something designed to help people!" Just wow. Psychology is, in itself, not "designed to help people" it's a study in UNDERSTANDING the behavior of people. But, again, it comes back to people seeming shocked and horrified that the CIA used methods of torture. This is well known and even documented, so there really shouldn't be that big a surprise. No, the big question should be "Why doesn't the CIA get kept on a shorter leash?"
DireWolf505
~direwolf505
Well, one part of the concept rings true- you in many cases don't have to do any leaks, the US gov is plenty good at shooting itself in the foot.
ConnorCat
~connorcat
OP
Yep.
ConnorCat
~connorcat
OP
I have to agree. Again, though, it's just so weird and naive that the fact the CIA did that stuff comes as shocking to them. And mind you, it's not as bad as what they oversaw and engaged in during the Phoenix Project. I think, funny enough, Harold and Kumar did a better job with the commentary, especially with Bush (the character) saying "I AM the Government and I don't trust the government!" You just have to do what you can, when you can.
