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Live From Baghdad
Warner Bros. // Unrated // June 24, 2003
List Price: $26.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE MOVIE
Live From Baghdad isn't a story so much about the 1991 Gulf War as it is the story of how the up and coming Cable News Network (CNN) became the leader in world news thanks to producer Robert Wiener (played by Michael Keaton) having men and women on the ground in Baghdad reporting at the outset of the war.
The film begins six months before the war starts, as Iraqi troops roll into Kuwait and occupy that country. Back in Atlanta, where CNN is headquartered, Wiener sees this as a potential "24 hour news story", believes the network should give it prime attention, and believes that he is the man who should go to Iraq to cover the events. Joining Wiener in Iraq is fellow producer Ingrid Formanek (Helena Bonham Carter), with whom Wiener has worked with in the past. There is an obvious sexual tension going on between the two, but it is something that they have never acted upon.
One of Wiener's big goals when he first arrives in Iraq is to try and nail down an interview with President Saddam Hussein. He waits an entire day at the Ministry of Information just to talk with its director, Naji Al-Hadithi (David Suchet) and although he leaves the meeting thinking he has a shot at the interview, the Iraqi government decides to give it to CBS and anchor Dan Rather instead.
Missing out on the interview, Wiener looks for a bigger story, and gets permission to take his crew into Kuwait City. However, he soon realizes he and CNN are being manipulated by the Iraqi government and even discovers the Iraqis have already filed his story with the BBC before his crew even returns to Iraq.
With President Bush setting a deadline of January 15th, 1991 for Iraq to withdraw their troops from Kuwait, CNN anchor Bernard Shaw (Robert Wisdom) is flown into the country for another potential interview and what Wiener hopes will be Saddam's last chance to change his mind before the onset of war. However, the interview never happens, and the night before many in Wiener's crew are getting ready to fly back to the United States, all hell breaks loose as the United States attacks Baghdad.
THE DVD
Video:
Live From Baghadad is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, and the transfer here is quite good. There is almost no evidence of dirt, grain or other defects in the picture. A layer change takes place at about the 54-minute mark, right after Wiener has returned from Kuwait City and has confronted Al-Hadithi about being used by the Iraqi government.
Audio:
The audio is presented in English 5.1 Dolby, although a 2.0 track is also available, as well as a Spanish 2.0 track. Listening in 5.1, the soundtrack is good, although not particularly aggressive – even at points you think it would be, like when the attack occurs at the end of the movie. Since most of the movie revolves around conversations rather than action, viewers should be happy with the audio provided here.
Extras:
Aside from a Audio Commentary Track provided by director Mick Jackson and some Cast & Crew Bios, there are no other extras on this DVD. One might have hoped for some interviews or CNN footage featuring the real people involved, but sadly the commentary track is the only worthwhile extra that this disc provides.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The best reason to see Live From Baghdad is for Michael Keaton's performance. He really owns the character and is quite enjoyable to watch on-screen. Also be on the lookout for a brief, but great, performance by Bruce McGill as CNN correspondent Peter Arnett. However, most of the other performers aren't particularly that interesting to watch – most notably Helena Bonham Carter, whose talents really seem wasted in this movie, although she does get a lot of screen time.
I enjoyed Live From Baghdad while watching it, but really feel no desire to see the film again, although the movie itself is certainly worth a look and has a lot to say both about network news and the way news organizations interact with hostile foreign governments. Pick this one up as a rental first, although I'm sure there will be many whom, after viewing, will want to add this movie to their collection.
Live From Baghdad isn't a story so much about the 1991 Gulf War as it is the story of how the up and coming Cable News Network (CNN) became the leader in world news thanks to producer Robert Wiener (played by Michael Keaton) having men and women on the ground in Baghdad reporting at the outset of the war.
The film begins six months before the war starts, as Iraqi troops roll into Kuwait and occupy that country. Back in Atlanta, where CNN is headquartered, Wiener sees this as a potential "24 hour news story", believes the network should give it prime attention, and believes that he is the man who should go to Iraq to cover the events. Joining Wiener in Iraq is fellow producer Ingrid Formanek (Helena Bonham Carter), with whom Wiener has worked with in the past. There is an obvious sexual tension going on between the two, but it is something that they have never acted upon.
One of Wiener's big goals when he first arrives in Iraq is to try and nail down an interview with President Saddam Hussein. He waits an entire day at the Ministry of Information just to talk with its director, Naji Al-Hadithi (David Suchet) and although he leaves the meeting thinking he has a shot at the interview, the Iraqi government decides to give it to CBS and anchor Dan Rather instead.
Missing out on the interview, Wiener looks for a bigger story, and gets permission to take his crew into Kuwait City. However, he soon realizes he and CNN are being manipulated by the Iraqi government and even discovers the Iraqis have already filed his story with the BBC before his crew even returns to Iraq.
With President Bush setting a deadline of January 15th, 1991 for Iraq to withdraw their troops from Kuwait, CNN anchor Bernard Shaw (Robert Wisdom) is flown into the country for another potential interview and what Wiener hopes will be Saddam's last chance to change his mind before the onset of war. However, the interview never happens, and the night before many in Wiener's crew are getting ready to fly back to the United States, all hell breaks loose as the United States attacks Baghdad.
THE DVD
Video:
Live From Baghadad is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, and the transfer here is quite good. There is almost no evidence of dirt, grain or other defects in the picture. A layer change takes place at about the 54-minute mark, right after Wiener has returned from Kuwait City and has confronted Al-Hadithi about being used by the Iraqi government.
Audio:
The audio is presented in English 5.1 Dolby, although a 2.0 track is also available, as well as a Spanish 2.0 track. Listening in 5.1, the soundtrack is good, although not particularly aggressive – even at points you think it would be, like when the attack occurs at the end of the movie. Since most of the movie revolves around conversations rather than action, viewers should be happy with the audio provided here.
Extras:
Aside from a Audio Commentary Track provided by director Mick Jackson and some Cast & Crew Bios, there are no other extras on this DVD. One might have hoped for some interviews or CNN footage featuring the real people involved, but sadly the commentary track is the only worthwhile extra that this disc provides.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The best reason to see Live From Baghdad is for Michael Keaton's performance. He really owns the character and is quite enjoyable to watch on-screen. Also be on the lookout for a brief, but great, performance by Bruce McGill as CNN correspondent Peter Arnett. However, most of the other performers aren't particularly that interesting to watch – most notably Helena Bonham Carter, whose talents really seem wasted in this movie, although she does get a lot of screen time.
I enjoyed Live From Baghdad while watching it, but really feel no desire to see the film again, although the movie itself is certainly worth a look and has a lot to say both about network news and the way news organizations interact with hostile foreign governments. Pick this one up as a rental first, although I'm sure there will be many whom, after viewing, will want to add this movie to their collection.
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