One of the most shocking things Baer reveals is how frequently the car bomb appears in conflicts throughout history. Perhaps since most viewers have never seen a car bomb actually go off, or perhaps thanks to unintentional Hollywood influence, it's easy to overlook the car bomb as one of terrorism's most accessible and deadly weapons, but the footage of car bombs going off that Toolis and Baer have included here is startling, illustrating blast ranges both miles wide and miles high, with Baer describing his own memories of at least one or two bombings, and the disturbing aftermath. Baer talks to historians, other CIA agents (including a man who lost both of his arms in a bombing), and even former terrorists, some of whom are quite shaken by the memories and questions Baer brings up as an interviewer.

Baer is also smart to include the misuse of the car bomb, illustrated in one of the movie's most compelling segments. Baer talks to Karl Armstrong, one of four men who bombed the University of Wisconsin's Sterling Hall, as a protest against war research they believed was being done in the facility's Army Mathematics Research Center back in 1970. The ingredients of such a bomb should've been unavailable to four students, yet the group set off a much-larger-than-expected explosion that damaged the hall from top to bottom and killed an innocent student, all in the name of research that, in truth, wasn't even happening at the facility. Armstrong, returning to the site for the first time since the incident, has vivid memories of the road to the bombing, and an interesting reaction that Toolis and Baer draw out of him. It's also interesting how far back the documentary goes, even exploring a Wall Street bombing done by horse-drawn carriage (the damage to the surrounding buildings is still there, approximately 100 years later).

If there's anything wrong with Car Bomb as a documentary, it's that the piece, as a whole, feels like a Wikipedia entry or historical rundown of the significance of the device, without any real "hook" or point that Toolis wants to make. Baer somewhat unhelpfully points out that the only solution towards getting rid of the car bomb is to get rid of cars themselves, which he concedes is a hopeless suggestion. Without any overall statement to make on the car bomb, where it's been, or where it's going, the documentary feels a little like it exists on its own behalf, but for anyone interested in the subject, it's a nice piece that doesn't feel artificially amped up or overblown for the sake of hyperbole.

The DVD
Car Bomb's cover features a vivid image of an exploding hood, along with a bold title treatment that should grab the viewer's attention from the documentary section in their local electronics store. No insert is included inside the case.

The Video and Audio
A 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio are more than sufficient for the doc, which, aside from some archival footage with varying source A/V, is mostly of Baer, walking and talking with numerous interviewees. I detected maybe some slight edge enhancement and the contrast might run a touch hot, but on the whole, I had no qualms with the presentation.

The Extras
None.

Conclusion
Car Bomb is an interesting and engaging piece, but it seems pre-designed for a slot on the Discovery Channel, or even a space in the DVD features of a film similar to Syriana. Taken on its own, along with the fact that the disc doesn't have any extras, I can only enthusiastically suggest a rental for those interested in hearing from Baer (who continues to advise Hollywood productions) and/or this specific aspect of modern warfare.