Eschewing flamboyancy in favour of an intellectual approach Robert Greenwald’s damning essay on the Bush Administration is no less enriching or important as Michel Moore’s Competition entry Fahrenheit 9/11.

Market Screening reviewed by Jean Oppenheimer.

Less flamboyant than Michel Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 – and, therefore, perhaps less superficially entertaining - Uncovered: The War On Iraq is a must-see for every American who cares about their country, regardless of their political persuasion.

While the two films reach a similar conclusion – that the Bush Administration’s stated rationale for war was bogus – Greenwald’s documentary takes a more straightforward and intellectual approach to the subject. American and international audiences uncomfortable with Moore’s grandstanding and his unabashedly partisan tone will find more compelling material here, including chilling evidence that members of the Bush team at the very least misread or misinterpreted intelligence, or, more sinisterly, that they purposely distorted and misrepresented it.

The film’s commercial prospects in its home territory - release is set for August – will depend on how willing Americans of all political views are to studying the issue before the November election. International audiences will applaud the film, which confirms long-held beliefs about current US policy, but how many people are willing to plunk down money at the theatre is unclear, perhaps preferring to wait for the video release. Ancillary markets look unusually strong.

Initially released as a 57-minute video that was partially funded, distributed and promoted by the online activist group MoveOn.org, the material has been updated and expanded into a 90-minute feature.

As before, the film presents in detail the government’s stated reasons for invading Iraq, including its contention that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and rebuttals from an impressive array of government anti-terrorism experts, veteran CIA analysts, diplomats, career military personnel and diplomats, many of them Bush appointees.

The new film also turns a sharp eye on the mainstream media, which it charges with failing to turn a more critical eye on government claims, and delves into the government’s reliance on informers., most, if not all, of whom have since been discredited. Sound clips of Bush Administration personnel are intercut with conflicting testimony from the panel of experts.

The film’s strength is its roster of interviewees, people with no obvious political axe to grind, who speak in completely non-emotional, non-judgmental tones. All are impressive, but particularly persuasive are weapons inspectors David Kay and Scott Ritter, the latter declaring that he voted for Bush in the last election but did not let that get in the way of his findings. Other interviewees of note include former ambassador Joe Wilson; retired CIA analyst Ray Mc Govern, a 27-year veteran of the agency whose duties included preparing the daily briefing for the president; David Albright; and Rand Beers, who served as a National Security Council adviser to five presidents, including Reagan and the first Bush.

The market screening was a work-in-progress (a final scene is to be added) and was marred by technical problems. Film had to be started three times before the buggs were worked out but the production is chock full of chilling and damning information that is never less than riveting. It is an important document that should be required viewing for every voter in an increasingly polarised American society.