This documentary won the Grand Jury prize for best documentary at Sundance. If you live in LA, NY, or Boston, go see it now; otherwise, you'll have to wait for it to be released on DVD.

Why We Fight, the new film by Eugene Jarecki, is an unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war machine, weaving unforgettable personal stories with commentary by a who's who of military and beltway insiders. Featuring John McCain, William Kristol, Chalmers Johnson, Gore Vidal, Richard Perle and others, Why We Fight launches a bipartisan inquiry into the workings of the military industrial complex and the rise fo the American Empire.

From a review in The Tech:

Speaking with the BBC about a source in the documentary, director Eugene Jarecki says, "Is she right? I don’t really look for that. I look for people who say things that are arresting, who you may not necessarily agree with, but who you also can't just dismiss."

Manohla Dargis called it "agitprop entertainment." She also says "Everyone sounds smart, if not always convincing." But the best part of her review is this:

The idea is that because the public buys the lies, it also buys the wars. Too bad this doesn't explain why people buy lies, including the obvious ones.

Maybe Ebert thinks so, too?

Perhaps we will find the answers in this Post article.

UPDATE: FYI, David Denby at the New Yorker didn't care for the film.

Why We Fight - A Film By Eugene Jarecki