freedom fries

W: Dubya, the Improbable President

To mark last night’s momentous US elections, I was given the opportunity to preview Oliver Stone’s forthcoming biopic on the life of former US president, “W”.

The film is far from flattering but at the same time far from being an all-out ‘shock and awe’ attack on Dubya the man. Flashing back and forth between his early life and his first term in office, the film presents an image of a man whose early life lacked any real direction and meaning, been played out in the shadow of a former president former war hero father, a more academically minded and capable brother, and a variety of former presidents that he either wanted to emulate (Reagan) or wholly despised (Clinton). In one particular scene, whilst eating a sandwich and speaking with his mouth full – a recurrent image throughout the film – Dubya is shown bragging to Dick Cheney about how his running time has improved since the Afghanistan invasion and how it is far better than that of Clintons.

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