A movie that can change the world?

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 2006)

Rare is the film that can inspire one to act. This one can. Mirroring the current US (and others) political environment in many subtle and some very obvious ways, this film does call one to action. A wonderful facet of the movie is the dichotomy of the spread of fear on the national level while the personal battle with individual fear is occurring during Portman's butterfly act in the "prison" scenes.
I left the theater today and emerged from a quick cab ride, to find empty Illinois State Sheriff buses and hundreds of police standing around, sucking down donuts and waiting for the start of a protest against the war in Iraq. I laughed to myself... just after seeing this movie, a protest against a war started by spreading lies and fear... and the rhetoric has already begun against Iran.
Considering the sagging approval ratings of Mr. Bush, the xenophobia precluding the invasion of yet another "Axis of Evil" country is going to be a lot more obvious to the people than the prewar blah-blah against Iraq was.
The media is a powerful friend (or foe) and the government does a great job of managing it to their ends in real life and in this movie. "Steal this movie!" HAH! I loved the scene where a hilarious parody of the monarch on the state run and sponsored "variety show" resulted in the host being beaten and "black-bagged". This movie is the thinking man's "Fight Club".
BRAVO and A+ on all counts.