With Oliver Stone Directing a Controversial Subject, I Sometimes Expect the Worst

    Understandably so, due to the fact that Director Stone is decidedly, vocally and irrevocably ultra liberal in his views, political and otherwise. Also understanding that ultra liberals have spewed so much venomous rage over the executive duties of President George W. Bush, after, of course, they finally felt safe from future terrorist attacks, I believed that Director Stone could not resist to sucker punch this terribly misunderstood man, when he was at his lowest point. I was wrong.

    Full disclosure: I voted for George W. Bush twice. Except for the Paul Bremmer debacle regarding the transition of power in Iraq, which foretold the President's most common governing flaw, I believed Mr. Bush did well handling the war on terror. That common governing flaw: loyalty to inept or ineffective subordinates. It crushed his presidency and his legacy, as surely as trying to rise above the inarticulate partisanship from certain congressmen and their operatives, that slammed the President during the critical time that we were fight the War Against Terror. Many well meaning people believe that President Bush was the better man by taking that "higher road less traveled," and proverbially rising above the fray by not fighting back effectively from the "bully pulpit" of the presidency. They were wrong.

    Oliver Stone directed Josh Brolin as "W." to represent the caricature of a beaten man at the end of his presidency, who meant well, but couldn't measure up. When I began the viewing of this film, I abandoned all illusions that Director Stone would actually represent the President in any other way other than a caricature, so I was not surprised. What did surprise me is that the caricature that he presented of this flawed man was not demonized by any of Stone's hyperbole.

    Once I felt that Director Stone would refrain from said hyperbole, I could concentrate on the story and the characters as presented by a fine ensemble cast of actors. A case in point is Josh Brolin. He did a fine job stepping into the skin of the 43rd President, and should have rather been nominated for this role rather than for Best Supporting Actor in the 2008 Oscars for "Milk."

    An all star cast including Richard Dreyfuss as VP Cheney, Scott Glenn as Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Bruce McGill as CIA Director Tenant, Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell, James Cromwell as Bush, 41, Thandie Newton as Condoleeza Rice, Ellen Burstyn as Barbara Bush, Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush and Toby Jones as Karl Rove all turned in memorable roles as these central characters. And let us be clear, it was a character driven script by Stanley Weiser, whether they were poor players on the transitory stage of George W. Bush in caricature.

    In every good caricature there is a whiff of truth, and Oliver Stone's "W." is no Different. Similar to his treatment of Richard Nixon in his last days of president in "Nixon," "W." shows a better man than I thought the Director would, and I suggest the film to all of you who enjoy the history of, unquestionably, one of the greatest nations in the history of the world - providing you keep it all in perspective.

    131 minutes of runtime.

    Rated R. Released on DVD February 10, 2009