Michael Moore's much-hyped Bush-bashing opus Fahrenheit 9/11 is "bloated, biased, and brilliant." In the wake of the September 11th attacks on America, this left-wing diatribe against the president was so vehement that the suits at Disney refused to distribute it. But where there's a will there's a way, and when this inflammatory film eventually did hit cinemas, it set the box office alight to become the highest grossing documentary ever.

Generating Heat

By way of providing a context for the film, a featurette records reaction to the release of Fahrenheit 9/11. It kicks off at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival where presiding juror Quentin Tarantino sings the praises of Moore and Fahrenheit 9/11 - the winner of the coveted Palme d'Or. "I just want you to know, it was not because of the politics," says QT, "it was the best film we saw." American moviegoers echo this sentiment from the streets of New York, although (inevitably) you don't get to hear from those who opposed the film. Strangely the mammoth battle undertaken by Moore to get his film released and his subsequent tussle with the MPAA ratings board is only briefly referenced here.

Documentary footage from Iraq offers a glimpse at life around the time of the American-led incursion. Vox pops recorded prior to the bombings feel rather superficial though as Iraqis smile at the camera and assure us their lives are just peachy thank you very much - although one suspects that saying anything different would've cost them dear. Still, the cost of American intervention was also high as cameras rove the streets and local hospitals after the attack - the supposedly "precision guided" missiles killed untold numbers of civilians and the anger of the Iraqi people is instant and intense.

More emotive scenes are recorded outside Abu Ghraib prison as 100 prisoners (detained as "terrorist suspects") are released under an amnesty program. Tearful reunions with family members are undercut by recriminations, as the detainees bare wounds inflicted by allegedly heavy-handed US soldiers and angrily contest the veracity of the charges levelled against them.

Swedish journalist Urban Hamid is also highly critical of the conduct of US soldiers in his eyewitness account. This also includes distressing footage of an early morning raid on the home of a suspected terrorist and the humiliating treatment he's subjected to during a medical examination. "It was sad to see how the Americans did not even try to communicate," mourns Hamid.

Beating Around The Bush

For those who missed it first time around, catch President Bush's hopelessly inarticulate and highly evasive press briefing following a meeting with the 9/11 commission. (Incidentally, a transcript of this meeting was never made available.) National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice offers a better prepared but nonetheless brittle defence during her testimony to the commission - keen to assure the world that the US government had no credible warnings about Osama Bin Laden's intention to attack inside the US.

It's not all doom and gloom though with additional footage featuring a ten-minute segment focussing on Arab American comedians and their skewed take on daily living post 9/11: "My names' Ahmed Ahmed. I can't fly anywhere." Nuff said. Even Attorney General John Ashcroft elicits laughs with a truly surreal rendition of self-penned ditty Let The Eagle Soar, which he sang (quite badly) to an audience of theologians in North Carolina. (In case you feel the urge to sing along, follow the bouncing ball at the foot of the screen!)

This batch of extras goes behind the scenes of the so-called "War On Terror" to provide a compelling look at the political machinations and countless atrocities committed in the name of freedom. But be warned, it's also shamelessly manipulative and never more so than in a post-premiere speech by Lila Lipscomb, whose son was killed while serving in Iraq. Bizarrely, the outspoken Michael Moore takes a back seat and disappointingly offers no insights into the making of the film. Nonetheless, Fahrenheit 9/11 makes an explosive package on this two-disc DVD.

EXTRA FEATURES