--- title: "The Fog of War: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-fog-of-war/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-fog-of-war" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Fog of War (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 17 reviews: 14 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are impressed. The reviews agree that Errol Morris has found a rich subject in Robert McNamara and a clean way to organise him: eleven lessons drawn from a life that runs through the Second World War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. The praise clusters around the direct-to-camera interview, the archival footage, the editing and Philip Glass’s score, and around Morris’s decision not to prosecute his subject but to let him talk. Several critics say politicians should be made to watch it. The reservations are about that same restraint. A minority wonder whether Morris is too gentle, and whether McNamara’s word should be taken at face value. The Independent finds the film gripping but comes away unsure if its subject is an honest broker or a war criminal, and notes the absence of emotional regret. The New Yorker treats it as a moral travelogue that leaves viewers divided over his refusal to apologise fully. No critic dislikes it; the spread runs from admiring to unsettled, with nobody below the middle. ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2003. Festival review. Morris delivers a brilliant, nuanced examination of McNamara's career as defense secretary during Vietnam, highlighting the intellectual, moral and political complexity of his 11 lessons. As a cinematic experience it is rich and full-bodied, respecting its subject while revealing the inner man. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-fog-of-war/4013717.article) ## Slant Magazine — Joshua Vasquez Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2003. The film structures McNamara's reflections around eleven lessons on the limits of reason and human judgment, maintaining ironic distance while sympathetically probing his conscience and America's. It stands as one of Morris's best works, a haunting portrait of a life interwoven with history that expects few easy answers. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-fog-of-war/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 2004. The film is a masterly, riveting and challenging documentary that uses McNamara's direct-to-camera interview and archival material to explore lessons from history. It highlights his reflections on war, power and ethics while noting his restraint in not speaking out earlier against the Vietnam War. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/apr/04/philipfrench) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 April 2004. The critic calls the film essential viewing and one of the most important confessional films ever made. McNamara's candid reflections on his decisions and the near-misses of the Cold War are singled out as fascinating. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/the-fog-of-war-spksq7rt3ss) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. McNamara reflects on a life spanning WWII, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam through 11 philosophical lessons of his own. The film is brilliantly realised by Morris and should be mandatory viewing for politicians. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-fog-of-war-eleven-lessons-from-the-life-of-robert-s-mcnamara) ## Empire — David Hughes Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). McNamara reflects on his career with archive footage and tapes backing some claims, proving crafty in interview. The film is a must-see, never less than fascinating re-examination of Vietnam regardless of one's view of its subject. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fog-war-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2003. The critic praises Errol Morris's documentary as one of the year's best for revealing the complexities and moral ambiguities of Robert McNamara through intimate interviews and philosophical questions about war. He singles out the exquisite Philip Glass score, fresh archival footage, and the film's demonstration that good intentions can lead to horrifying outcomes. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-dec-19-et-fog19-story.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2003. Festival review. Errol Morris delivers a compelling, thoughtful and involving documentary structured around eleven lessons from McNamara's life, exploring moral issues, human foibles and historical events through extensive interviews and exceptional archival footage. The critic notes its bracing non-confrontational attitude that enriches understanding without changing opinions outright. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/the-fog-of-war-2-1200541464/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2004. The film presents McNamara reflecting on his life and decisions through eleven lessons, revealing the uncertainty and frailty of leaders in wartime. Ebert highlights McNamara's introspective interviews and the film's use of archival footage and Philip Glass score to underscore moral complexities of war. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fog-of-war-2004) ## Sight and Sound — J. Hoberman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The film offers McNamara a platform to reflect on his career and the lessons from events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam, without aggressively prosecuting him. It is a chastening experience that humanizes its subject while underscoring the road to hell paved with good intentions. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/101) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2003. The film allows McNamara space to reflect on his actions without damning or exonerating him, evoking the truth in its contradictions through virtuoso technique and archival footage. It revisits the past with an eye on the present, highlighting lessons on proportionality, unilateralism, and the fog of war. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-fog-of-war-1798199258) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2003. Festival review. Morris's documentary is a sober, beautifully edited portrait that should be studied by leaders, organizing McNamara's reflections into lessons about war and human error. It suggests that in wartime nobody in power really knows anything, with a solemn Philip Glass score and historical clips. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/11/movies/film-festival-review-revisiting-mcnamara-and-the-war-he-headed.html) ## Evening Standard — Antonia Quirke Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The documentary casts a gloomy spell as McNamara reflects on his life and wars, with few clarifications coming as a surprise. The taped conversations and his final inability to complete a thought stand out as the most revealing moments. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-fog-of-war-7380344.html) ## The Independent — Nick Barber Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2004. The film is shocking, funny, gripping and cleverly assembled but leaves the viewer unsure whether McNamara is an honest broker or war criminal. Morris presents him as reflective yet the critic questions if we should take his word and notes the lack of emotional regret. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-fog-of-war-pg-gothika-15-the-cat-in-the-hat-pg-scooby-doo-2-monsters-unleashed-pg-all-tomorrow-s-parties-nc-54755.html) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2004. The film is a feature-length interview and moral travelogue where McNamara confronts firebombed cities, near nuclear catastrophe, and the morality of victory. It raises difficult questions about responsibility, with audiences divided on McNamara's reflections and lack of full apology. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/01/19/late-review) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 April 2004. The critic finds the documentary powerful and absorbing, highlighting McNamara's erudite and sincere reflections on war, nuclear risks, and leadership lessons that remain relevant today. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-fog-of-war-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Paste — J. Robert Parks Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2004. The critic calls Errol Morris’ film an amazing and relevant portrait of Robert McNamara that raises important questions about war and human nature. They single out the rhythmic editing, Philip Glass score, and archival footage for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-fog-of-war) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-fog-of-war.md