Friday, May 23, 2008

Movie review: Standard Operating Procedure

How did filmmaker Errol Morris get these "bad apples" to open up on camera?

By John P. Meyer

Standard Operating Procedure

"Standard Operating Procedure" provides an examination of the unintended consequences of the Iraqi war with a focus on events at Abu Ghraib prison which began to appear in global media in 2004. The prison quickly became notorious for the shocking photos of the abuse and torture of terror suspects by military men and women. Ultimately, it is the story of soldiers who believed they were defending democracy but found themselves plunged into an unimagined nightmare.

Source: Cinema Source

• Showtimes and more on Standard Operating Procedure

"I wouldn't recommend a vacation to Iraq anytime soon," says Tim Dugan, as Errol Morris' eye-opening (and periodically gut-wrenching) documentary, Standard Operating Procedure, begins.

It's a statement that relates only peripherally to the disturbing subject matter the film is about to tackle - but it may tell us quite a lot about the mindset of members of the 372nd Military Police assigned to guard duty at Abu Ghraib, where war detainees were imprisoned and questioned by the U.S. military. (And I use that designation "war detainees" with reservations, because it turns out many of the prisoners at A.G. were run-of-the-mill Iraqi crooks.)

As revealed in letters written by Specialist Sabrina Harman to her domestic partner back in the states, many of the soldiers assigned to the notorious facility were not thrilled to be there: "I have a bad feeling about this place," Sabrina wrote soon after her arrival. For purposes of the narrative, Morris has her read from these letters during their interview.

Sabrina Harman, who took some of the first photos documenting the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib

In addition to Sabrina Harman, Morris has wrangled intensely personal and remarkably frank interviews from the likes of Janis Karpinski (Brigadier General in charge of the U.S.-operated prison system in Iraq, including the Abu Ghraib facility); Brent Pack (the CID special agent charged with investigating abuse charges and analyzing the photographic evidence); Javal Davis (a sergeant with the 372nd, who comes across as a thoughtful and intelligent individual); Tim Dugan (a "contract interrogator" who did his thing at Abu Ghraib under the auspices of the CACI Corporation - and who is one mean-looking son of a bitch); and, most notably, Lynndie England, seen in so many of the shocking photos released at the time the scandal broke (Spring of 2004).

Lynndie England, who claims she just got mixed up with the wrong guy.

If the film limited itself to the interviews with these and other on-site participants, as recorded by Morris and his film crew, it would be fascinating enough; but Morris takes things further, incorporating reenactments of some of the more surreal and horrific incidents portrayed in the photos and described in the first-person interviews with those who were there. Through the employment of computer graphic sequences we are given to understand the manner in which investigator Dugan put together the timeline of events. Lacing it all together is an edgy and immersive Danny Elfman score, reminding us a bit of that composed by Philip Glass for Koyaanisqatsi. All of which is to say that Standard Operating Procedure is an affecting cinematic experience in addition to being an important historical document.

"Contract interrogator" Tim Dugan. Yeah, he looks mean. Wait 'til you hear him talk.

Conclusions drawn, or at least suggested, by Errol Morris' carefully crafted and fascinating (like a train wreck) film:

* what's seen in the photos are far from the worst things that went on in Abu Ghraib.

* when confronted with the insanity and inhumanity of war, people are prone to react to it in insane (and often inhumane) ways.

* Corporal Charles Graner, not interviewed by the Morris film crew (because he was still in prison at the time of filming), seems to have been the architect of much of the mayhem recorded by the soldiers' digital cameras.

* ultimate responsibility for the events at Abu Ghraib probably lies higher up the command food chain

Janis Karpinski, who took the fall for the higher-ups.

* country music makes for better psychological warfare material than, say, hip-hop.

By the time we've absorbed the two hours worth of real and fabricated, physical and psychological atrocities explored in SOP, we're reminded of another commonly-used military acronym: SNAFU.

What we take away from the film - and what will linger for weeks after watching it - are the portraits of those convicted of crimes for which they had no defense - and who imagined that, in their commission, they were simply doing their duty.

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• Arts > Movies / Film > Independent Films

Comments

Bill Holston Verified

There were a couple things that struck me about technique, One, I liked how he paused the camera after asking questions, it seemed to highten the discomfort and awkwardness of the soldiers. They really looked vulnerable and very unsure of themselves. I was bothered though by the occasional interjection of interviewer voice. It was distracting.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )