The Unknown Known Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Unknown Known
Year: 2013
Director: Errol Morris
Country: US
Language: English

Born July 9, 1932 Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. Consequentially he was both the youngest and oldest person to have served as the Secretary of Defense. He is most notable for planning the United States' response to the September 11 attacks, which include two wars; one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Both wars have since been considered failures as America's involvement has only made the regions far worse.

In Errol Morris' picture, the former United States Secretary of Defense discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Unknown Known is a frustrating picture, because unlike the subject of Fog of War (Robert S. McNamara) Morris can't get Rumsfeld to atone for his post 9/11 sins. The best Rumsfeld comes up with is "Sometimes things work out and somethings things don't work out. This didn't work out." The subject is manipulative, unreliable and dodges the truth with his various "definitions" of certain words. A more aggressive interrogation was needed, as Rumsfeld didn't expand on the morality of the war, nor the many consequences of it. He is almost eager to dismiss Vietnam, but struggles with the reality of his most recent venture.

Yet, it's not like Rumsfeld is purposefully stone-walling Errol Morris. In-fact the 82 year old man, who comes off as quite energetic, thinks he is being very candid and revealing regarding his personal and professional life. His memories are very impersonal, as are his feelings for those he worked under. We do get a sense that he is unable to separate the two, and that the smokescreen of deceit he has had to hide under during the early to late 2000's has clouded his view of "the truth". If anything, The Unknown Known shows us the danger of charisma, and the folly of definition. An enemy soldier does not get POW treatment if they are technically defined as a "terrorist".

Weaving its central interview through archival footage, poetic images of snow globes and seascapes while having a haunting score by Danny Elfman, Morris gives his subject plenty of rope, but Rumsfeld refuses to hang himself. Morris could have done better than to make borderline propaganda, although he does give us insight into the mind of an American politician even if that person refuses to accept fault for their poor judgement. 2.5/5