Standard Operating Procedure

Reactions

“An impressive and highly relevant piece of filmmaking, Standard Operating Procedure shines light on a subject that may be distinctly ugly but which also needs to be both examined and understood.”

Tom Dawson | Channel 4 (UK)
“Morris explores the reality of Abu Ghraib with a visceral intensity that straightforward reportage could never allow.”

Jeff Shannon | Seattle Times
“A striking visual exercise—a meditation on the hold that seeing has over us as human beings.”

Mark Feeney | Boston Globe
“A riveting and damning film that doesn't excuse those in the photos, but rather pulls back to expose a larger, far more complex picture.”

Michael Kissinger | Vancouver Courier
“...Strikes a remarkable balance between art and disturbance, between beauty and pain.”

Kenneth Turan | Los Angeles Times
“This film is strong, direct in its message, and carefully crafted by Morris.”

Jonathan Nail | LAist.com
“For my money, then, Errol Morris is the greatest living documentary filmmaker.”

Jeffrey M. Anderson | Cinematical
“This is not a "political" film nor yet another screed about the Bush administration or the war in Iraq. It is driven simply, powerfully, by the desire to understand those photographs. (4 stars out of 4 )”

Roger Ebert | Chicago Sun-Times
“...A staggering work that traces the rotten blossom of this scandal close to its roots.”

Ty Burr | Bostn Globe
“...Strikes a remarkable balance between art and disturbance, between beauty and pain.”

Kenneth Turan | Los Angeles Times
“...Indisputably an impressive piece of documentary filmmaking.”

Dana Stevens | Slate.com
“...Powerful, especially in a final sequence that stamps many of the photos either "Criminal" or "S.O.P.," in line with the film's title.”

Bob Mondello | NPR
“Standard Operating Procedure's subject matter, and what it says about the war in Iraq, is eye-opening.”

Claudia Puig | USA Today
“Morris ... generates a palpable, rich, unparalleled context to Abu Ghraib”

Mina Hochberg | AM New York
“Filmmaker Errol Morris refers to his documentary about the abuses at Abu Ghraib and the photos that exposed them as a “nonfiction horror movie,” and with its creepy reconstructions, Danny Elfman score and haunted-house sound design, it could pass for one.”

Ken Fox | TV Guide
“"This film should be required watching for our elected and appointed officials.”

Jennifer Merin | About.com
“Morris does a public service by showing that these soldiers aren't the monsters you might expect.”

Rick Warner | Bloomberg.com
“This is a rare film that treats its audience like adults and doesn't dumb down big problems and offer simple explanations.”

Scott Feinberg | And the Winner is...
“The most chilling thing about the film ... is how hard it is to completely separate yourself from those guilty U.S. soldiers.”

Owen Gleiberman | Entertainment Weekly
“You probably won’t find a more illuminating account of what happened within the walls of Abu Ghraib.”

Rafer Guzman | Newsday
“Fascinating ... Morris forces us to ask ourselves what we would have done in their position, whether or not we like the answer.”

Christy Lemire | Associated Press
“A remarkably compelling narrative.” (3.5 out of 4 stars)

Glenn Kenny | Premiere
“It’s a truly important film, not so much for what it says politically but for what it dredges up emotionally.”

Dennis Dermody | Papermag.com
“This film has to be seen.”

Christopher Dickey | Newsweek
“See Standard Operating Procedure for its riveting narrative, for the way it keeps looping back—to the swirls of Danny Elfman’s night music—to the basement of Abu Ghraib.”

David Edelstein | New York Magazine
“Skillfully made ... searing.”

Cindy Adams | New York Post
“Among the best documentaries on the Iraq war”

David D’Arcy | ScreenDaily.com
“Blew me away…Standard Operating Procedure stunned from the first image of a sun setting on Abu Ghraib to the last image of the same sunset, with birds flying away.”

Karin Badt | The HuffingtonPost.com
“A cannily crafted but hauntingly persuasive portrait of the moral no-man’s-land that ignited the mortifying prisoner-abuse scandal.” (3.5 stars, out of 4)

Bill Weber | Slant Magazine
“A searing documentary about the prisoner abuse scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail.”

Agence-France Presse

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Standard Operating Procedure

Reactions

“An impressive and highly relevant piece of filmmaking, Standard Operating Procedure shines light on a subject that may be distinctly ugly but which also needs to be both examined and understood.”

“Morris explores the reality of Abu Ghraib with a visceral intensity that straightforward reportage could never allow.”

“A striking visual exercise—a meditation on the hold that seeing has over us as human beings.”

“A riveting and damning film that doesn't excuse those in the photos, but rather pulls back to expose a larger, far more complex picture.”

“...Strikes a remarkable balance between art and disturbance, between beauty and pain.”

“This film is strong, direct in its message, and carefully crafted by Morris.”

“For my money, then, Errol Morris is the greatest living documentary filmmaker.”

“This is not a "political" film nor yet another screed about the Bush administration or the war in Iraq. It is driven simply, powerfully, by the desire to understand those photographs. (4 stars out of 4 )”

“...A staggering work that traces the rotten blossom of this scandal close to its roots.”

“...Strikes a remarkable balance between art and disturbance, between beauty and pain.”

“...Indisputably an impressive piece of documentary filmmaking.”

“...Powerful, especially in a final sequence that stamps many of the photos either "Criminal" or "S.O.P.," in line with the film's title.”

“Standard Operating Procedure's subject matter, and what it says about the war in Iraq, is eye-opening.”

“Morris ... generates a palpable, rich, unparalleled context to Abu Ghraib”

“Filmmaker Errol Morris refers to his documentary about the abuses at Abu Ghraib and the photos that exposed them as a “nonfiction horror movie,” and with its creepy reconstructions, Danny Elfman score and haunted-house sound design, it could pass for one.”

“"This film should be required watching for our elected and appointed officials.”

“Morris does a public service by showing that these soldiers aren't the monsters you might expect.”

“This is a rare film that treats its audience like adults and doesn't dumb down big problems and offer simple explanations.”

“The most chilling thing about the film ... is how hard it is to completely separate yourself from those guilty U.S. soldiers.”

“You probably won’t find a more illuminating account of what happened within the walls of Abu Ghraib.”

“Fascinating ... Morris forces us to ask ourselves what we would have done in their position, whether or not we like the answer.”

“A remarkably compelling narrative.” (3.5 out of 4 stars)

“It’s a truly important film, not so much for what it says politically but for what it dredges up emotionally.”

“This film has to be seen.”

“See Standard Operating Procedure for its riveting narrative, for the way it keeps looping back—to the swirls of Danny Elfman’s night music—to the basement of Abu Ghraib.”

“Skillfully made ... searing.”

“Among the best documentaries on the Iraq war”

“Blew me away…Standard Operating Procedure stunned from the first image of a sun setting on Abu Ghraib to the last image of the same sunset, with birds flying away.”

“A cannily crafted but hauntingly persuasive portrait of the moral no-man’s-land that ignited the mortifying prisoner-abuse scandal.” (3.5 stars, out of 4)

“A searing documentary about the prisoner abuse scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail.”