W is a tour-de-force. It is incredibly nuanced (thanks to the outstanding performances by nearly everyone onboard: in particular Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell's voice of reason, Thandie Newton nailing a caricature of Condi Rice that really has to be seen to be believed, Scott Glen captures Rummy's posed presence perfectly, Richard Dreyfuss wields his seniority and acting experience to full effect as Cheney [imo deserving an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor], and Josh Brolin puts in such a well-textured Bush humanising rather than demonising our president, you can bet he will be nominated for the golden statuette as well), but all this nuance is not limited just to these actor's fine performances, equal measures of credit must be given to the writer and director, whose choices in what to leave out of the story are just as important as what they put in, and this is where I found the movie to achieve a near perfect balance in depicting just who this most "fortunate son" is, where he came from, and how he came to make a play for a presidency which arguably out-did his father's legacy while at the same time screwing it up even worse. It really is a remarkable piece of filmmaking which, I think, succeeds at a level I would have ordinarily thought impossible: it functions in a way which should polarise both Bush-haters and -supporters, because it refuses to pander to the biases of either camp. This, in my opinion, is the measure of a true and balanced work of cinematic art. I think Oliver Stone has come a long way towards a fair & balanced middle view with this film, showing his maturity as a human being and also his insight behind the real people that have really been running this country for the past eight years. It is not merely brave filmmaking, it is canny, smart, and crafty and dares to squeegee the mindset of the vastly divided American public for a clear view at "what really happened" during these dizzying, confusing times since 911. Go see W. not because you like Oliver Stone and certainly do not make the mistake of avoiding W. because its directed by him, but rather, go see W. because it is easily one of the most self-assured depictions of an American presidency ever committed to film.
I am going to step up to the plate here and state that W. is a great film. It's great not because of any misconstrued boldness in its execution or subtext, but rather, its a great film despite the lack of such judgmentalism (which I find bold in itself). I.e, it is a subtle film that poses nothing new to the American public in its details; yet what it does provide is in the laying-out of key events in the Bush presidency so that we are provided with an unprecedented opportunity to get a glimpse of the whole picture, and it does so with as much restraint towards personal bias as is humanly possible, I think. Here is a depiction of a living president still in office which dares to pay respect to the esteem that is traditionally owed to the presidency while at the same time revealing the all-too-human errors comitted during its increasingly disastrous term. I think that for this reason among others, W. will not only win its share of Oscars, but will also serve to give Oliver Stone back some of the respect he used to enjoy in the 90s. Only now he is older, wiser, and not anywhere as far out on the fringe left as he used to appear to be. Movie audiences the world over can only benefit from his having matured in this fashion, just as they can only benefit from taking a chance on seeing this excellent expose of a film. W. is entertaining, funny, insightful, charming, and disarming. It cuts through all the bullshit and gets to the heart of the story. I find that utterly remarkable. Some have criticized it for being "too close" to the source material, that it somehow lacks clarity of hindsight, etc. Although this may be true in some respects, I found that the movie's principal concerns are well within the writers sights. In fact, I'd argue the exact opposite from those critics by countering that, actually, the movie's entire point is rewarded by the freshness of its creator's perspectives. There is no better time than NOW for a moviemaker with the life experience of Oliver Stone to focus on this presidency - while its still fresh on our minds -- in order to expose the all-too human foibles clustered at its heart. This is a movie I am eager to see again, to marvel over Richard Dreyfuss's Dick Cheney, for the scenes of Bush's cabinet discussing matters in the War Room, for the sheer audacity of this veteran troupe of actors seizing their opportunities to really capture something real here. To coin the most obvious phrase that comes to mind, Oliver Stone knocked this one right out of the park.
