And then there's Armond White's nakedly partisan attack on the film. White would have us believe that the Tipton Three were guilty of being terrorists, even though they were released without charge. His "review" also seems to imply that there is no evidence of torture at Gitmo. Or, if there is torture, he seems to imply that it's justified. Really appaling stuff, even for White.

Oh, my. I hope to catch up with that one ASAP (it's been a strange day, FWIW). When I do, and as I spot other reviews, I'll be updating this entry. Thanks, Matt.

I wonder if anyone will be swayed by film such as this or if it will be as polarizing as, say, a Michael Moore movie. I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds like a lot of people are getting ready to attack the movie regardless. So I wonder if people will have their minds made up going in.

I'll have to look for news on the release to see if/when it will play in Ann Arbor.

Whether or not the film will actually change anyone's pre-established opinion is one worry; another, and a more immediate worry for me, odd as it may sound, is that now that even Bush is saying he'd like to see Guantánamo closed that there may be a common perception that the story's over. Why see the film if it's no longer a concern, in other words.

But of course, even years, even generations down the line, we'll need to be reminded that the US and Britain unlawfully held hundreds of men without trial, without representation, for years.

We already know that the US operates "black sites" in Europe which are said to be far worse than Guantanamo. There is a danger that once Guantanamo is shut down, people will think we're no longer holding detainees without charge and torturing them. Guantanamo is only a symbol of a shameful policy. If Bush closes it, it will probably be more for PR's sake than an actual shift in detention policy.

David Denby's gripe in the New Yorker is that the film skirts a lot of questions about what these guys were doing in Afghanistan in the first place, and in doing so fails to make a larger point: nobody should be treated this way, regardless of guilt or innocence.

http://www.newyorker.com/critics/cinema/articles/060626crci_cinema

Thanks, Matt. I'll take a look. I've developed this strange habit of looking over everything in the New Yorker but the film reviews.