I tell people who cannot find it in themselves to criticize anything former President Obama did to see this film. This is what establishment, centrist Democratic representatives are apparently okay with. Keep this in mind for our 2020 election year.

With an eye-catching storytelling and an impeccable clarity in Scahill's thought process, it successfully helps put the war-opposing LibDems and the Republicans in the same basket. One issue it had is, I felt it heavily focussed on one side; the military side of why they did what they did is missing. Only one military general is on record expressing his views. So I just found only one side of war.

Somber, Oscar-nominated documentary about the human toll resulting from the war on terror. It's all told through the eyes of journalist Jeremy Scahill (who also narrates), taking you along for all the frustrations and revelations of investigative journalism.

Pretty straightforward film but also gets it's message across in an effective manner.

How the US government is INCREASING terrorism across the world rather than reducing it.

i finally got up the strength to commit to watching this doc with Jeremy Scahill. it was tough to get through but it was a an important view. DIRTY WARS brings attention to the methods of JSOC as the US's unaccountable special ops who have unlimited funds, answer only to the white house and assassinate enemies with impunity anywhere in the world; spun from Afghanistan and Iraq. DIRTY WARS bolsters the narrative that america's war on terror is not only counter-productive but is the machine that creates more terrorists. as someone who has live through and for the past 25 yrs followed closely the US' involvement in the middle east, this doc is yet another brush to paint the picture that the american military industrial complex is the force for evil bringing devastation anywhere for profit and the expense of everyone.

If you were to watch one movie about Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East, this would be it. It's sordid, compelling, and so attention grabbing.

America tries to kill its way to victory, but the war on terror produces new enemies with every killing.

Dirty Wars is a devastating experience. It's a film that chews up your hopeful, idealistic illusions regarding American leadership, spits them out, and leaves a cruise-missile-sized hole in your heart for good measure. Drone strikes and extra-covert military operations (including those that occur in nation-states we aren't formally at war with) have been covered with regularity-if not tenacity-by the media over the past few years. Dirty Wars does what all of these news reports have failed to. It holds truth to power and shines a light on the ugliest side of our international affairs. The film is told from the point of view of war correspondent for The Nation magazine Jeremy Scahill, who begins the film in Afghanistan, reporting on a raid in a remote corner of Afghanistan that killed a number of civilians including two pregnant women. A number of peculiarities-like the fact that eyewitnesses reported seeing men removing bullets from the bodies-cause Scahill to follow a trail of breadcrumbs that leads him to Yemen and Somalia. The result of his reporting: this movie, its book companion, a lot of paranoia, and some serious disillusionment. Scahill shares it all with us and rarely leaves the frame, which gives this documentary more of a cinematic feel to it than it might otherwise have if told through talking heads (a technique that likely would have been impossible considering the sensitive material we're dealing with here). We're not just getting fed information, but we're also following a man on a journey. This journey takes him to some frightening places (I'm not planning a trip to Somalia any time soon), and introduces him to some frightening dudes. By its conclusion, he's changed. It's a unique take on the genre, and while I'll admit it leads to some affected narration, I wouldn't imagine Dirty Wars any other way. This is a much more emotional experience than you'd ever expect. Scahill's findings all come back to something called JSOC, or Joint Special Operations Command, which reports directly to the White House. Seal Team Six, of course, is part of this group. It's also credited with the drone strike in Yemen that targeted and killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda member who also happened to be an American citizen. It's when covering the al-Awlaki case that the film hits hardest, and though the facts and aftermath of the case are readily available, I'll leave the more horrifying details for you to discover, just in case. No one emerges from Dirty Wars unscathed, which is the most disheartening prospect of all. President Obama-a beacon of peace-comes across as nothing more than a smarter, more hawkish version of Bush. When Scahill describes the unlawful imprisonment of a Yemeni journalist and the circumstances by which Obama kept him in prison, you'll bury your head and your hands and just pray it doesn't get worse (spoiler alert: it does). I'm sure this review has done little to make you want to experience Dirty Wars, but I implore you to try. Not only is it one of the most important documentaries in recent memory, it's also one of the very best films of 2013. It's courageous, informative, moving, and absolutely sickening at times, but it's something the public absolutely needs. http://www.johnlikesmovies.com/dirty-wars-review/

Without A Doubt, The Venture Into Mogadishu-Somalia Is Compelling Stuff. A Very Unique Interview With Infamous Warlord Mohamed Qanyare (The Lord Of War) Adds Some Sombering Insights. This Doco, While Ground-Breaking, Will (As The Lead Journalist States) Fall On Deaf Ears. The First Causality Of Any War, Always Being The Truth. Full Of Twisted Logic & Muddled Views Clouded By Death, Honor & Fool-Hardy Bravery.

It's OK, but it left me wanting much more. The book is much better!

Dirty wars. Your point of view will change.open your eyes ans see. i am speechless.

People must watch this. Very well made

It takes guts for a journalist to report these things.

An utterly one sided view of reality.

none of this is really that surprising

The war on terror turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy

well done..despite the depressing nature of the topic and sad commentary on the american government/military..

A true eye opener on the hidden face of what the US did to innocent ppl in the countries they invaded.

Half a star is generous only because he seems to actually have travelled to the Middle East, any truth in his "journalism" is overshadowed by Scahill's self loathing and close ups of him with varying sad face expression ensuring the viewer is never for one second confused regarding the real focal point of this "documentary" Scahill claims to be a seasoned war correspondent yet claims to have never heard of JSOC? Need I go on? What a joke.....