KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Nominated earlier this year for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category, The Most Dangerous Man in America is a well-made, thoroughly researched work that for years to come will be an important tool to show future generations the tragedy that was the Vietnam War. It will also prove to them that there are always inspirational Americans like Daniel Ellsberg who are willing to sacrifice everything in order for truth to prevail.

If you are under the age of 50 and have not been interested in American history, then you may be asking, "Who is Daniel Ellsberg?" After serving in the Marines in the 1950s, Ellsberg went to work for the Pentagon in 1964 and was a key figure in developing assessments for U.S. military involvement in South Vietnam. Gradually, he went from believing in the war effort to becoming an antiwar activist after growing tired of the lies the government kept repeating to America.

Risking life in prison, Ellsberg photocopied a top secret study in 1969 titled "United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense," or "The Pentagon Papers." First published in 1971 by the New York Times, the papers revealed that every administration from Truman to Johnson had misled the public about their plans for Vietnam.

The documentary goes on to show how the The Pentagon Papers helped bring down Nixon's presidency and how it provoked a landmark Supreme Court case involving the First Amendment.

The Most Dangerous Man in America contains a good blend of archival war footage, photographs, recreations, and interviews with all the key players including John Dean, who was Nixon's White House Counsel, and Egil "Bud" Krogh, who led Nixon's special investigation unit, or Plumbers, that burglarized the offices of Ellsberg's psychiatrist in an attempt to discredit him.

Ellsberg comes across as a modest individual who doesn't shy away from his own culpability for the war's initial expansion in Vietnam. His narration is consistent and he divulges just enough personal history to allow us better insight into his makeup as a man without drifting too far away from the topic at hand.

For those who have studied American history, particularly the Vietnam War, there isn't a whole lot that is new in this documentary. However, the totality of it, plus the firsthand accounts of Ellsberg, make it fascinating nonetheless.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers receives an A-.
    
The Most Dangerous Man in America is unrated and has a running time of 94 minutes.

Now showing through May 6 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for show times.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

More Featured Articles