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The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

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The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

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Summary

An exploration of the life and work of Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, former Marine and military strategist, who was responsible for the publication of secret government documents that revealed the truth behind America's involvement in Vietnam.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Jack Seale

Judith Ehrlich's compelling, multilayered and Oscar-nominated film looks at military analyst and king of whistle-blowers, Daniel Ellsberg. Ellsberg helped to plan and promote the war in Vietnam but, overcome by guilt about the horror being wrought and the lies being told, leaked a devastating top-secret dossier to the press in 1971. The early sequences serve as a companion to Errol Morris's 2003 film The Fog of War, exploring the psychology of people inside a war machine who perpetuate massive deceits. The second half, about Nixon's efforts to smother the truth, is like a tense All the President's Men prequel. Just as striking as the precedents Ellsberg set is what he didn't achieve: much of what he exposed has been forgotten. At the end, an ageing Ellsberg is arrested again - for protesting against the invasion of Iraq.

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7.7/10

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rolenameDirectorJudith EhrlichDirectorRick Goldsmith

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English

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