"Shock and Awe" Movie Review

                           "Shock and Awe" 

"Shock and Awe"  was a brutally honest movie about the reporters who exposed the little white lies President George W. Bush told the American public about America’s involvement in the Iraq War.  Knight Ridder was a newspaper outlet in which the investigative talents of John Walcott, Jonathan Landay, and Warren Strobel unearthed the secrets concerning the Iraq War that had been glossed over by the Bush administration. These men looked through the journalistic lens to discover the truth and expose the real reasons for the Iraq War. 

                                                         Rob Reiner 
    "Shock and Awe"  

The blockbuster movie is based on a true story in which Knight-Ridder’s investigative reporting was proven to be factual and correct. Their honest search for truth and willingness to expose it in spite of the potential negative consequences for themselves was truly courageous. 

To paint the picture before the Iraq War, America faced the horrific tragedy of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack that would permanently scar the American sense of security. After the attack, patriotism spread like wildfire as many young men rushed to enlist in the military. They wanted to protect, fight, and avenge the fatal insult done to our American citizen’s freedom. When the government makes bad choices, the soldiers are the ones to pay the price. 

                                                     New York Review 
President Bush addressing the military. 

Many journalists refused to dispute the story the George W. Bush administration was publicly sharing due to the fear of losing their jobs or reputations. Knight Ridder faced backlash as they were the only reporters staying true to their journalistic integrity. Because of their truth, they were ostracized. Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel would not back down since they were writing to share the truth. 

Throughout the film, a young man named Adam was one of the young men who wanted to enlist to fight in the war.  He was filled with a sense of patriotism as he watched live footage of 9/11 before his eyes on a small television screen. On Adam’s first mission, he was sent to Iraq. This would be the last time he would ever walk. The injuries he sustained in Iraq sentenced him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. For Adam, the Bush administration declaring war against Iraq, cost him his own personal freedom.  

Towards the end of the movie, the viewer sees Adam staring at a memorial wall honoring the memory of friends and army companions who paid the ultimate price with the loss of their lives. John Walcott said, “We don’t write for people who send other people’s kids to war. We write for people’s kids who get sent to war.” These eager young men were mere boys as they were sent a world away to fight in a war that America should never have participated in. 

                                                        AOAV.org
F1-16 fighter jets in the Iraq War. 

The reporters for Knight Ridder wanted the American people to know the truth as their sons and daughters were being sent away to a questionable war.  All three reporters searched to discover as many sources as possible for a connection between the Iraq War and Al-Aqueda. 

In the papers, Bush and his administration insisted that Iraq was involved in the development of various nuclear weapons; however, no nuclear weapons were found. The fear for America’s National Security caused by being in opposition to this invasion was immense.  The Knight Ridder team wanted to provide articles sharing the truth for the American citizens with information providing the reason the Iraq War was not justified in the first place. 

Knight Ridder believed the readers must be equipped with the facts such as how the American troops could be trapped in a decades-long war. No one else was reporting from this viewpoint except Knight Ridder. Journalists should always report the truth, focusing on the public rather than the government’s approval. 

Shock and Awe opened my eyes, as the one group of reporters willing to tell the truth were criticized for their own documented evidence. There were zero weapons of mass destruction found as Knight Ridder unraveled every lie sugarcoated by President G. W. Bush and his administration. 

                                                   "Shock and Awe"
Johnathan Landay (L) and Warren Strobel (R) reporting  

History frequently repeats itself, as we see the similarity in the present-day Ukraine War. President Biden continuously sends billions of dollars and weapons to Ukraine pulling America into a war that will leave permanent damage on this country. Very few news outlets actually report the truth about the US interest in Ukraine. 

Will reporters step up and take action with Ukraine like the Knight Ridder reporters did in the Shock and Awe movie, or will they choose to remain silent in complicity with the government?