Standard Operating Procedure
A blockbuster of a documentary, Errol Morris’s “Standard Operating Procedure” is an inquiry into the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. It is, predictably, a bleak, depressing movie, but if you stick around through the end credits, you may also be in for a few surprises. In addition to the usual complement of helpers — a research coordinator, a consultant on Iraq — the credits mention a costume designer, a wardrobe stylist, six hair and makeup people, an action consultant, an armorer, 5 set dressers, 7 animal handlers, 10 prop makers, 33 cast members and Danny Elfman, the longtime composer for Tim Burton. It’s an estimable roll call, all the more so when you compare it with the average documentary or even a modest fiction film. The very scale of “Standard Operating Procedure” — evident in its costly-looking production values, special effects and elaborately choreographed re-enactments — suggests that Mr. Morris has grown weary of working in the margins to which documentary filmmakers are still too often relegated. “Standard Operating Procedure” is a big, provocative and — it goes without saying — disturbing work, though what makes it most provocative is that its greatest ambitions are for its own visual style. — Manohla Dargis
Full New York Times Review
Full New York Times Review