Shock and Awe Movie Review

Shock and Awe is a movie that stresses the importance that investigative journalism has, and the need for journalists to report the truth about people and organizations in power. While also providing an entertaining history lesson behind the start of the United States' war with Iraq.

This movie focuses on the United States' invasion of Iraq, following the attack on the World Trade Center, and how a group of journalists from the Knight-Ridder news service are skeptical about George W. Bush's claims regarding the reasons behind this planned invasion. The journalists were questioning the President's claims that Saddam Hussein has weapons that can threaten the United States.

The reporters from the Knight-Ridder hear reports and sources that claim that President Bush's administration is more focused on blaming the dictator of Iraq than finding the Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden. Following their sources, they get their information from the learn that Hussein had no involvement with the 9/11 attacks but that the White House is willing to use any excuse to attack Iraq.

With public opinion already swayed, the reporters at Knight-Ridder are fighting an uphill battle to print the truth, with much more than their careers on the line. Shock and Awe gives great insight into the dangers that unchecked authority can have, and the importance for journalist to seek the truth, and fulfill their duty in the Watchdog role.

This movie did a great job of portraying the struggles the characters have to go through in order to get the truth out. You are able to see their journey and feel frustrated every time they run into a roadblock. If you go into the movie without knowing the history behind the Iraq War, then every time new information is uncovered is shocking and really harmers in the point of how media can control the public's perspective.

While the movie gave a great insight into the fundamental role journalists play when it comes to reporting the truth, this movie did have some flaws. The main issue was that the movie felt very melodramatic, while I understand the importance of keeping the audience engaged, at times, it went a little overboard.

This led to some scenes and dialogue, and characters feeling out of place. I feel that if the writing took a more down-to-earth approach and did not overly rely on creating dramatic scenes with the sole intention of artificially creating an emotional response, the movie would be a lot better off.

Despite these flaws, the movie does give a more realistic depiction of what investigative journalism looks like. The story depicted in Shock and Awe is an important one to tell, especially in an age where more and more news sites have lost sight of what it means to be an investigative journalist. If you are looking for a movie that goes into the history of the United States' invasion of Iraq, and what went on behind the scenes that led to this event, this movie is worth watching.