DVD Review: War On Whistleblowers

DVD Reviews, Reviews

The last few years there’s been plenty of news stories on people leaking out information from their work. Thanks to advances in technology, the act of taking home tons of classified documents is so easy. How much can you put on a flash drive that’s as small as your car keys? Right now Bradley Manning is on trial for all the top secret material he provided to Wikileaks. Edward Snowden sits in Moscow’s airport as a man without a country for giving the public a sense of what the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting in their data centers. The press and pundits have had a glorious time debating whether Manning and Snowden are traitors or patriots. It can be a tough question for viewers as they duck the bullet points being spouted. Robert Greenwald’s War On Whistleblowers explores various figures who couldn’t keep silent in their security position. The movie explains what they must they risk to do what’s right in their hearts.

The first big example in the film is Franz Gayl. The ex-Marine who served in Iraq had noticed that way too many deaths in the country came from Humvees running over bombs hidden on the highways. He knew that Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) would fare much better in the warzone. But forces within the Pentagon didn’t want to change from the Humvees. After over a year with troops dying and losing limbs in IED explosions, Gayl took matters into his own hands. He set up a meeting with a USA Today reporter. What’s important to note is that Gayl only shared declassified information. When the article came out about how MRAPs are necessary, two things happened. First the Pentagon took notice and immediately put the plant in round the clock production. The death and injury rate dropped dramatically. Secondly, the Pentagon treated Gayl as if he was a rat for daring to defy the chain of command. His security clearance was suspended. Did he deserve the retaliation?

Daniel Ellsberg relates his circumstances with The Pentagon Papers. At the height of the war in Vietnam, the military analyst leaked to the New York Times a study about how the war wasn’t that easily winnable. Ellsberg faced 115 years in prison for his actions. While Snowden doesn’t get interviewed, Greenwald interviews two people with NSA experience. Justice Department lawyer Thomas Tamm found himself marked as a whistleblower when he uncovered the Bush White House allowing the NSA to have warrantless wiretaps. Thomas Drake talks about why he had to let the press know that the NSA’s $1.2 billion Trailblazer program was a massive waste of taxpayer money. He found himself facing 10 felony counts.

Greenwald’s War On Whistleblowers reminds us that even if a person is morally right in letting the public know what’s being done with their money, there’s a price to pay. Not everyone that’s a whistleblower is a disgruntled employee looking for revenge. They aren’t out to aid the enemy. Many of them don’t flee the country and get stuck in distant airports. This is an informative documentary for anyone who wants to hear from people really involved instead of screaming pundits on the 24/7 news channels reading off bullet points. You get two people who have dealt with the NSA.

The video is 1.78.1 anamorphic. The documentary was shot on HD video so the interviews look fine. The stock footage varies in quality. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. There’s not much dynamic mixing since the focus is the interview subject’s voice. The movie is subtitled in English and Spanish.

Audio Commentary lets Robert Greenwald explain the production.

Extended Interviews are more stories from most of the major speakers.

War on Whistleblowers explores the subject that’s constantly in the news. Are these people concerned citizens or criminals? The documentary does its best to show people who have dared to break their silence to get the real story out to the people.

Disinformation presents War on Whistleblowers. Directed by Robert Greenwald. Featuring: Daniel Ellsberg, Thomas Tamm,Thomas Drake and Franz Gayl. Running Time: 66 minutes. Rated: Unrated. Released: July 30, 2013.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.